Valley Fire Now 40 Percent Contained

Photo of Middletown destruction by Al Francis, NapaSonomaPhotos.com
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The Valley Fire burning in Lake, Napa and Sonoma counties remains at 73,700 acres and is 40 percent contained, Cal Fire officials said this morning.

The blaze, which started at 1:24 p.m. Saturday in the area of Cobb in Lake County, has killed at least three people and injured four firefighters.

Cal Fire officials said at least 585 homes and hundreds of other structures have been destroyed, and at least 7,800 other residential and commercial structures remain threatened. More than 4,000 fire personnel have responded to battle the blaze.

Cooler temperatures and rain in recent days have helped firefighters increase containment of the blaze, Cal Fire officials said. Evacuation centers have been established in Calistoga, Kelseyville and Clearlake for the thousands of residents who had to flee from the fire.

Earlier fire coverage:

• Napa Valley Vintners Make Generous Donation to Valley Fire Victims
• Berryessa Estates Evacuation Order Lifted
• 2 More Bodies Discovered in Valley Fire
• Cadaver Dogs Search for Missing Residents in Valley Fire
• Valley Fire Already the 9th Most Destructive in California History
• Valley Fire Increases to 70,000 Acres, Still 30 Percent Contained
• Valley Fire at 67,200 Acres, 30 Percent Contained
• Pets and Livestock Being Rescued From Valley Fire Evacuation Area
• Wildfire Victim Was Disabled; Containment Doubles in One Day
• 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

As of Thursday, the mandatory evacuation order for the community of Berryessa Estates has been lifted to residents only. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

--Bay City News