Woodward Fire: 2,259 Acres Burned, 5% Contained In Marin County

MARIN COUNTY, CA — Fire crews on Saturday continued to work to contain a wildfire that has scorched thousands of acres in Point Reyes National Seashore.

The blaze, called the Woodward Fire, had blackened 2,259 acres and was 5 percent contained as of 7 a.m. Saturday, according to the Marin County Fire Department. No injuries have been reported and no structures have been damaged. Around 1,620 structures were threatened.

"I understand for all of our residents this presents a lot of stress, a lot of challenges," Marin County Fire Chief Jason Weber said during Saturday's news briefing.

The fire, sparked by lightning, broke out Tuesday just south of the Woodward Trail, a few miles west of the Bear Valley Visitor Center in Olema and about a mile inland from Limantour Beach. The fire was burning in hilly and remote terrain in Point Reyes National Seashore.

"The good news is we're starting to get more resources, which is helping a lot," Weber said.

"We've been aggressively fighting this fire since it started. It's just — as you're all aware — the state is so drawn down on resources. Engines, crews, bulldozers, aircraft — there's a lot of competition for that."

Also see: CA Fires Latest: 5 Dead, Over 770,000 Acres Burned

A total of 196 firefighting personnel were assigned to the fire Saturday morning, including 26 overhead crew members, 20 engines, five hand crews, three helicopters, two dozers and two water tenders, according to Marin County Fire.

Evacuation Warning

An evacuation warning was issued Tuesday evening in coastal sections of West Marin. The warning was directed to people living and visiting west of Shoreline Highway, also known as state Route 1, between Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in Olema south to Bolinas.

The Marin County Sheriff's Office on Friday expanded the evacuation warning area to include the area west of Highway 1 and Sir Francis Drake to the Point Reyes Lighthouse, as well as Sir Francis Drake to the Bay Area Ridge Trail, continuing to the Bolinas Ridge Fire Road and the McCurdy Trail. This includes the communities of Inverness, Inverness Park, Olema and Sea Haven.

View an interactive map of evacuation warning areas and the fire perimeter.

"The potential for the fire to move long distance is still very much in place," Bernard Spielman, incident commander of Point Reyes National Seashore said during the briefing. "Those warnings are there for your safety — to give you a heads up and prepare you for if there is an evacuation, you have time to prepare."

Closures

Point Reyes National Seashore was closed Friday until further notice due to the Woodward Fire, the National Park Service reported.

All park roads and trails have been closed. Backpack and boat-in campground operations have also been suspended.

Limantor Road was closed. Coastal traffic was limited to local traffic only. Authorities asked visitors to avoid the coast.

"We want to ensure that the residents have the means to get out of the area, and also that firefighters have the available routes ... to fight the fire and save any communities if they were to be threatened," sheriff's Sgt. Brenton Schneider said.

Also see:

• Firefighters Rescued From Fast-Moving Woodward Fire In Marin
• Point Reyes National Seashore Closed Due To Woodward Fire
• Wildfire Smoke Prompts Health Advisory In Marin County
• Air Support Arrives To Help Fight Woodward Fire In Marin County
• Woodward Fire Burns 1,100 Acres In Point Reyes National Seashore
• Woodward Fire Prompts Evacuation Warning In West Marin