Favorable Weather Helps Crews Battle Woodward Fire In Marin

MARIN COUNTY, CA — With help from more favorable weather conditions, firefighters stopped the Woodward Fire in Point Reyes National Seashore from spreading Tuesday.

As of Wednesday morning, the fire was holding at 2,739 acres and remained 5 percent contained, fire officials said. Fire activity was low to moderate Tuesday due to a relatively humid marine layer over the fire. Fog and smoke hindered visibility, however, which limited water drop operations for most of the day before they picked up in late afternoon.

"We had a successful day yesterday out on the line," Marin County Fire Chief Jason Weber said during Tuesday's news briefing. "We're hoping that will be the same today. We're working on getting additional resources to help with the tactics and strategies being used."

The blaze continues to burn northeast toward the town of Point Reyes Station, according to the National Park Service. The fire is expected to spread south toward the Wildcat Campground and easterly toward Five Brooks Horse Camp.

No structures have been damaged, but about 1,620 structures remain threatened. Three firefighters have suffered minor injuries since the blaze broke out last week amid a record-breaking heat wave.

"We understand you're on edge. This is stressful," Weber said as he addressed community members. "We're doing everything we can to mitigate this."

A total of 259 firefighting personnel were assigned to the fire Wednesday morning, including eight fire crews, plus 20 engines, five helicopters, two dozers, two masticators and two planes.

The fire, ignited by lightning, sparked Aug. 18 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 is expected to be fully contained by Sept. 8, according to the National Park Service.

Evacuation Orders and Warnings

Evacuation orders remain in effect for Silverhills Road, Fox Drive and Noren Way south of Inverness Park. An evacuation center is located at the Marin Center, near the Civic Center.

Deputies are actively patrolling the evacuated areas throughout the day and night, Marin County sheriff'sSgt. Brenton Schneider said.

Evacuation warnings remain in place for the following areas:

• Highway 1 at the Greenbridge (Lagunitas Creek) south to the intersection of Highway 1 and Sir Francis Drake (southern intersection in Olema)
• Sir Francis Drake to the top of Olema Hill (everything north of Sir Francis Drake)
• Everything between the above intersections to the east to Olema Hill and west of Highway 1.

"We are constantly in conversations about warnings and whether to lift warnings or orders and whether to reduce those," Schneider said. "Know that those conversations are taking place, but we won't make that determination until we've considered everything that could happen with the fire and we're comfortable that it would not happen."

View an interactive map of evacuation order and warning areas.

Closures

Point Reyes National Seashore remains closed until further notice due to the Woodward Fire. All park roads and trails are closed. Backpack and boat-in campground operations are also suspended.

Limantor Road remains closed. Coastal traffic is limited to local residents only.

Air Conditions

Smoke from the fire continues to spread over Marin and San Francisco counties and has contributed to air quality alerts in the region.

Also see:

• Woodward Fire: 2,739 Acres Burned, 5% Contained In Marin County
• 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
• Woodward Fire Prompts Evacuation Orders In Marin County
• Woodward Fire: 2,259 Acres Burned, 5% Contained 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