Atlas Fire Destroys Solano County Structures

SOLANO COUNTY, CA — About 2,500 residents have been evacuated from homes in Solano County as a result of the Atlas Fire, which has spread from where it sparked in Napa County on Sunday night, county officials said Thursday. The fire has destroyed two homes and 11 other structures and is still threatening 400 other homes in the county, Sheriff Tom Ferrera said.

Ferrera said there have been no deaths in Solano County from the fire, which claimed the lives of an elderly couple in Napa County earlier this week.

Solano County health officer Dr. Bela Matyas said 257 people have visited emergency rooms in the county because of issues related to the fire and 23 have been admitted.

State Sen. Bill Dodd, who represents parts of Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Contra Costa, Yolo and Sacramento counties, expressed solidarity with the residents affected by the Atlas Fire since he had to evacuate as well
from his home in the Silverado area of Napa County on Monday.

"This is something that's very personal to me," Dodd said.

According to Cal Fire, the Atlas Fire has burned 43,762 acres and was only 3 percent contained as of this morning.

Mandatory evacuations remain in place for the Green Valley area west of Green Valley Road from Mason, north to Valley End Lane. Solano County officials say it is still not safe for affected residents to re-enter.

Solano County District 1 Supervisor Erin Solano said 467 animals — horses, goats, mini horses, chickens —are being sheltered at the Solano County Fairgrounds in Vallejo.

Affected residents have taken shelter at evacuation centers set up at Solano Community College in Fairfield and Allen Witt Sports Park in Fairfield.

Elsewhere in Solano County, residents of the Sonoma Developmental Center were evacuated Wednesday to the Dixon fairgrounds.

Sheriff Ferrera encouraged Solano County residents to check the county's website at Solanocounty.com and the sheriff's office's Facebook and Twitter pages for any updates on the fire.

ALSO SEE:

• Sonoma County Wildfires: 2,800 Santa Rosa Homes Lost, Mayor Says
• Northern California Wildfire Latest: Death Toll Climbs; Fires Merge; 191,437 Acres Burned
• Napa County Wildfires: 'We're In This Together'

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

Photo: A helicopter draws water from a pond to help put out a fire near Napa, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017. Gusting winds and dry air forecast for Thursday could drive the next wave of devastating wildfires. (Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press)