Glass Fire: Worries Rise Around Calistoga, Angwin As Winds Pick Up; Red Flag Warning Set To Take Effect
CALISTOGA (KPIX 5) – Firefighters battling the Glass Fire are preparing for the worst as winds already started to pick up in the North Bay mountains late Wednesday night.
Air resources and ground crews attacked the fire just north of Calistoga all day Wednesday, trying to knock out most of it before the wind came in. Air tankers made drop after drop as the fire raced up the hillside just off Highway 29.
A DC 10 and a 747 were part of the attack to protect homes in the Jericho Canyon area.
FIRE EVACUATION MAPS: Sonoma County | Napa County
In aerial video taken by Cal Fire, looking down on the Palisades Mountain range below, flames came dangerously close to homes tucked away in the mountains.
Consuelo Carrillo who came to visit family in the area, said, "It's scary. We have a lot of people live around here. It's scary."
Monte Singh, a Calistoga Resident adds, "A little bit scared. Yes."
Cal Fire said tactical patrols would be in the area throughout the night. They don't have enough resources to stage an engine at each home, but crews will be assigned to patrol certain areas.
Firefighters are concerned about the wind and so are residents.
Chessie Solari, who has lived in Calistoga for 33 years said, "That worries me a little bit because you never know with the wind. Because last time the fire got really close to the house so we are worried."
Calistoga is not the only concern Wednesday night. There's a big orange glow just outside Angwin above Summit Lake Road. Hot spots also can be found on the western hillside of Napa Valley.
- Napa County Evacuation Order Information
- City of Calistoga Evacuation Information
- Sonoma County Evacuation Information
- City of Santa Rosa Evacuation Information
Meanwhile, those in the City of Calistoga and surrounding areas remain evacuated until the fire danger passes. It's a nightmare they seem to relive now, year after year.
Solari said, "We're worried, how many times? There's a new fire, evacuated. It's scary, very scary."
As of Wednesday evening, the Glass Fire has burned 51,266 acres since it started over the weekend and is 2 percent contained, according to Cal Fire. More than 200 structures have been destroyed, including more than 100 homes in Napa County.
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for the North Bay Mountains from 1 p.m. Thursday through 6 p.m. Friday.
Along with increased fire risk, smoke from the Glass Fire has caused poor air quality throughout the region. People on social media throughout the Bay Area posted pictures of the moon, which had an orange hue due to the smoke Wednesday night.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has issued a Spare the Air alert through at least Friday, as air quality index (AQI) levels are expected to be in the unhealthy range in the North Bay and East Bay, while unhealthy for sensitive groups in the rest of the Bay Area.
Andrea Nakano contributed to this report.
