Firefighters have made progress on the Putah Fire west of Winters in Yolo County, but officials are warning that the next round of dangerous weather could quickly test those gains. The blaze has burned 860 acres and was 35% contained as of Wednesday afternoon, according to Cal Fire.
Highway 128 reopened in both directions about 9 p.m. Tuesday after being closed near the Napa and Solano county lines because of the fire. Evacuation advisories for three zones in Yolo County were also lifted shortly before 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Fire crews continue to strengthen lines
The fire began Monday morning after a prescribed burn escaped, then intensified Tuesday morning when powerful overnight winds pushed flames across containment lines. Crews have been working in steep terrain near Highway 128 west of Winters, using hand lines, aircraft drops of water and fire retardant, and heavy equipment support.
Cal Fire said about 285 personnel were assigned to the incident Wednesday, including 15 fire engines, 12 hand crews, four bulldozers and eight water tenders. Firefighters continued strengthening containment lines throughout Wednesday.
In a statement on social media, Cal Fire said the agency “takes full responsibility for the management of this prescribed fire that resulted in the Putah Fire and is committed to transparency and accountability throughout the incident.” The agency said the burn was conducted within the established burn window and under weather conditions that initially met approved parameters, but unexpected wind conditions caused the fire to spread.
Red flag warning raises new concern
Despite the improving containment, the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning from 11 p.m. Wednesday through 9 a.m. Thursday for the North Bay interior mountains and East Bay hills, including eastern Sonoma and Napa counties and parts of Lake County. The weather service said humidity could fall to 10% to 20%, with wind gusts of 35 to 40 mph and isolated ridge-top gusts above 60 mph.
Those conditions could support rapid fire growth and dangerous fire behavior. Temperatures were also expected to stay well above normal Thursday and Friday, with highs in the low to mid-90s in Santa Rosa, Napa and Cloverdale before easing slightly into the weekend.
Power shutoffs and ongoing response
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said elevated wildfire risk triggered planned Public Safety Power Shutoffs across parts of Northern California on Wednesday and Thursday. PG&E said shutoffs were required in parts of Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Sutter, Tehama and Yolo counties, while portions of Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties remained under a watch where outages were considered likely.
Firefighters will now have to defend the progress already made while weather conditions remain unsettled across inland Northern California. As www.pressdemocrat.com reported, the incident remains active even as crews push to hold containment and limit further spread.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
You can reach Staff Writer Isabel Beer at isabel.beer@pressdemocrat.com.
