Old Fire evacuees allowed to return home; Napa County wildfire burns more than 500 acres

By Web Staff

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    NAPA, California (KPIX) — Evacuees were allowed to return to their homes early Wednesday while crews continue to gain containment of the blaze that burned nearly 600 acres.

The “Old Fire” on Old Soda Springs Road near the Silverado Country Club and the burn zone of the deadly 2017 Atlas Peak Fire was first reported around 3:30 p.m. and rapidly grew as the evening progressed.

As of about 6:45 a.m. Wednesday, Cal Fire announced that the fire has been mapped at 570 acres and was 15% contained.

“Firefighters worked hard overnight and made significant progress,” the agency said.

Cal Fire’s LNU division hurried crews and bulldozers to the scene to battle the flames in the wooded and brush covered area. They also called in help from nearby departments and aerial tankers were also making water and retardant drops.

Napa County Sheriff Oscar Ortiz told KPIX 5 his deputies went house to house along the sparsely populated Old Soda Springs Road to make residents were evacuating.

“It’s not a densely populated area,” he said. “We have about 20 deputy sheriffs going up and down the mountain facilitating those evacuations. We also have our animal rescue teams on standby.”

“They have significant air and ground resources,” he added of the firefighting effort. “We have the CHP also helping at the road closure at Silverado Trail. As we get updates, the evacuation orders will get lifted or expanded depending on the firefighting efforts.”

As the flames moved up the hills, the evacuation order was expanded to homes on Soda Canyon Road.

Among those impacted by the fire was local resident Tom Bird.

“It’s hot and dry up here that it spread real quick,” he told KPIX. “

At the time the fire ignited, a Red Flag Warning was in place in nearby Solano County. The winds were gusty, humidity levels low and the brush tinder-dry from months of drought.

Winds from the fire zone brought smoke to other parts of the Bay Area.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has issued an air quality advisory for the region through the end of Tuesday and all day Wednesday.

Air District officials said while isolated pockets of elevated pollution levels are possible near the fire, pollution levels are not expected to exceed national standards and a Spare the Air alert is not being issued.

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