Wildfire Grows t0 30 Percent Containment

Photos Credit Al Francis, NapaSonomaPhotos.com

Written by Bea Karnes, Patch

The only person known to have died in the Valley Fire was identified Monday by her caretaker as 72-year-old Barbara McWilliams, a retiree who suffered from multiple sclerosis and was unable to get out of her home on her own. Deputies were dispatched to her residence but were driven back by flames before reaching her.

• Elderly, Disabled Woman Trapped in Home, Died in Valley Fire

Monday was also the day that some residents learned with certainty that their homes were leveled by flames. Some saw video or photos of their homes, while a few people made it back to see the ashes and foundations that once housed their families.

Most people were kept out of the evacuation area. First, there’s the problem with power. PG&E crews must ensure that there are no live wires that can injure people. They also have to replace miles of utility poles, wires and transformers destroyed by the inferno.

And the roads need to be kept clear for emergency crews. Cal Fire reports that 16 dozers are now carving breaks around the fire. Containment grew from five to ten percent on Monday. Add 53 water tenders, 157 fire engines, and more than 1400 fire personnel...and you have a formidable firefighting force.

Cooler temperatures and intermittent rain in the burn area helped. By the end of the day, Cal Fire reported that flames had claimed just an extra 1,000 acres on Monday, to 62,000, while the containment line grew to ten percent. The news is even more encouraging Tuesday morning--containment is now 15 percent with 67,000 acres scorched.

The cost of fighting the fire will be covered, for the most part, by FEMA. The federal agency will cover 75 percent of the costs for fire suppression, safety and recovery needs.

• FEMA Grant to Cover Valley Firefighting Costs

The number of evacuated residents mushroomed to more than 20,000. Many are ending up at the Napa County Fairgrounds, as it has facilities in place to accommodate horses, chickens and whatever else comes through the gates.

• Evacuated Fire Victims Settling into Tent City

The forecast TWednesday calls for favorable firefighting conditions.

Earlier fire coverage:

• Highway Through Hell: Video Shows Driver’s Escape from Valley Fire Inferno
• One Dead as Valley Fire Explodes to 61,000 Acres, 5 Percent Containment
• Elderly, Disabled Woman Trapped in Home, Died in Valley Fire
• FEMA Grant to Cover Valley Firefighting Costs
• Evacuated Fire Victims Settling into Tent City
• One Person Killed in Valley Fire; 50,000 Acres Burned; Hundreds of Homes Lost
• Exhaustion, Desperation, Humor at Calistoga Evacuation Center
• “Huge Destruction. Homes Destroyed Will Be in Hundreds”
• Valley Fire Roars Through 40,000 Acres in 12 Hours