Not yet out of the woods. (Mandatory evacuation zones continue to increase.) The two largest fires in Sonoma County are at zero and one percent containment as of Wednesday morning. The Tubbs Fire is hitting both Sonoma and Napa (specifically Calistoga) counties. Large fires are also raging in Mendocino and Lake counties and only getting less media coverage because they’re not as populated as Sonoma and Napa.
Too heartsick to write much of a diary. The Press Democrat twitter feed and main page covers the up-to-date details.
Many first responders — fire fighters, police, medical professionals — have been on the job during the past forty-eight hours as their homes were destroyed. In Santa Rosa, power, cell phone coverage, and internet access went down for most of the area early Monday morning and now is slowly being restored. Two of the three major hospitals remain closed (patients transferred to other Bay Area hospitals) but expect to reopen sometime on Thursday.
Weather permitting.
Update — Monitoring developments of the fires (necessary to determine if I need to bug out), the mandatory evacuations ordered for Calistoga and Agua Caliente and an evacuation advisory for the northern part of the City of Sonoma seemed confusing. Until I checked on the direction of winds that have been increasing over the past few hours. Then a factor that hasn’t been mentioned in any of the reports from local officials or media finally hit me. Better known in SoCal and therefore, it wasn’t surprising that the LATimes identified it in ‘Diablo winds’ fuel widespread destruction…
…
October can be a troublesome month for firefighters throughout California. The normal weather pattern near the coast is for moist sea breezes to come off the Pacific Ocean and into the land. But in the fall, high pressure that builds into the Great Basin causes wind to shift in the opposite direction, said Jan Null, adjunct professor of meteorology at San Jose State University and former meteorologist with the National Weather Service.In Southern California, they’re called Santa Ana winds, and in Northern California, they’re called Diablo winds. So in Northern California, air coming down from Nevada and Utah falling from an elevation of about 4,000 feet gets pushed down to sea level, and that air is compressed, and warm winds are created. Overnight, exceptionally dry winds came in screaming from the northeast to the southwest.
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Update #2 The expected warmer and stronger NNE and NE winds did materialize. They’ve varied from WNW to NNW and been in single digits with few gusts. Clearing out the air (worse today in SF than in Santa Rosa) and stopping westward progress of the fires. Not so good for areas east of the uncontained fires: Geyserville, Lake County (2015 Valley Fire), Mt. St. Helena, Calistoga, and SE Sonoma Co and SW Napa.
Firefighter reinforcements and equipment arrived yesterday. None too soon as many had been on the lines for forty-eight hours. (Normal shifts are an astounding twenty-four hours.)
What hasn’t been in short supply is food and drink. Good food for the first responders and evacuees.
In the midst of chaos, grief, fear and exhaustion, many local restaurateurs, farmers, caterers and chefs are offering up the most valuable thing they can this week — warm meals.
Something that wouldn’t be seen in too many places: Red Cross headquartered at Santa Rosa cannabis company. Even as Northbay cannabis farms devastated by fires. Many wineries were also devastated and grapes not yet harvested have been destroyed. (No estimate yet on the toll on vineyards.)
Relief for some residents but until the fires are out, we’re all still in a state of shock and unable to begin to process this disaster.
Update #3 – The situation deteriorated overnight. Flared up and is racing near Sugarloaf Ridge State Park. Mandatory evacuations ordered at 4:30 a.m., 8,500 additional evacuees. CalFire spokesperson said that the next twelve hours are critical — they’re making progress but fire and wind remain difficult to predict. State Senator Mike McGuire (will have more to say about him later) announced that emergency managers are working to open another evacuation shelter in Marin County because all of the others are full.
I hope you’re safe.
On Monday I could smell the smoke all day, from 80 miles away. This fire system went from zero to major disaster in about 4 hours, just unbelievable.
Other than the noxious air and no internet, I’ve been okay, but since late yesterday, evacuation zones have been getting closer to me.
Firestorm is the only word to describe the events in the early morning hours of Monday. Hours before then SR fire officials were calling for help through the mutual aid system, including Cal-Fire. Still inadequate to the size and speed of the fire to simply get the people out of harm’s way.
I’ve been near/around/in earthquakes, floods, fires (including the LA riot fires), but they all pale in comparison this fire.
Meant to include a note about the speed of the firestorm. The SR fire department set up a north-central staging area for the city. Within an hour an hour had to evacuate from the Walmart parking lot. Life and not buildings was their priority at that point in the firestorm.
Shit. STAY SAFE. Hope the fire keeps it’s distance.
Thank you. Mostly up to the weather at this point and it’s not being as cooperative as firefighters need. However, we’re past the no-warning notice firestorm period. If the fire comes near my neighborhood, we’ll have plenty of time to evacuate.
Yesterday my neighbor couple decided that they would feel safer at his mother’s. Today they’re back, along with Mom. It’s a bit of a guessing game.
Hope you and yours stay safe.
Living, as I do, in a temperate rain forest, the constant fire danger Calif suffers under is not understood. Looking at Napa rain fall averages, the area had more this year than the last few. Is it the general regional arid nature of the area? Extended drought? Is it over populated for environmental support?
On another forum, once posted the view from a high western Va mountain showing a wide, forested valley. A Calif friend commented “fuel”
Good Luck.
Ridge
SoCal and much of the central valley is arid. Historically, Norcal is much wetter. Record amounts of rain in the 2016-17 season for this region after several years of drought. Popped open all the dormant grass and plant seeds. So, yes lots of fuel. However, that pattern – drought followed by a significant rainy season — isn’t new and didn’t result in a recorded firestorm like this one.
Overpopulated? Compare Orange County and Sonoma County over the past seventy to eighty years. Both were mostly agricultural as of 1940 before becoming overflow areas for LA and SF. Population was 130,760 and 69,052 in 1940. Today 3.2 million and 0.5 million. A major difference over the years (other than OC getting Disneyland) was freeway construction.
Highways opening up the hinterlands. long story from colonial times on. DC area has exploded and districts thought too remote are growing based on auto commute with no light rail.
Of course, doesn’t help that anyone not making high 6 figures from Govt/Contractors/lobbyist industry is priced out of housing unless willing to drive an hour or more. Lower housing possible but tightening every day.
Fortunately, environment can support with ample water for population, agriculture and vegetation. Main issue is agricultural pollution of Chesapeake Bay.
R
I know what you’re going through — I was in a similar situation of sitting on evacuate a few years ago down here in SoCal during Santa Ana winds season, though your fire is much larger. I lucked out, but we could see the fires atop the hills not far away, and the police were stationed 50 yards away at the nearby major intersection in case they got the order. Scary times. And I realized I was only half prepared as to important papers and items to carry out, so the experience did teach me to get better organized and to update my home insurance.
If I stay here another 5-7 years, as I plan to, the odds are good that we’ll go through another fire experience given climate change patterns and long-term forecasts. It’s the new normal, along with earthquakes. I suppose there has to be a downside to balance the usually wonderful weather we have out here year-round.
Best of luck.
I’m awfully sorry to hear that you may be personally affected and hope you don’t suffer either health-wise or by losing property. I was reminded several weeks ago of the potential “second hand” health effects of wildfires when here in Portland, Oregon we were getting nasty smoke from forest fires burning in the Columbia River Gorge. My spouse has chronic lung issues and she had to just stay inside with air filtration running constantly.
Stay safe.
Sorry to hear this is threatening you. I hope the property and physical threat steers clear from you.
My Union represent a lot of workers whose homes have burned down. Fortunately, none were physically hurt, at least to my current knowledge.
Things are fucked up and bullshit, chapter 342.
Didn’t intend this to be read as about me. Simply trying to report the ongoing events and disaster taking place not many miles from me. Unlike those that got caught completely off-guard on Monday morning, the rest of us recognize that few of our homes are out of danger and we may have to evacuate but will have enough time to do so.
Will have much more to say after the fires out or fully contained.
All flights in and out of the airport through this Saturday morning have been cancelled. But…
Brown did what he could do and what was needed with his emergency declaration several days ago. No resources should be used at this point for a photo-op for these three. (More later on this.)