Wildfires cloud Sunday skies

Hundreds of people fled their homes Sunday as a 3,500-acre wildfire that started in a sparsely populated area of Napa County roared across dry grasslands to within a few hundred yards of a subdivision west of Fairfield.

By late Sunday, the fire appeared to have narrowly missed the high-end development known as Green Valley, about 10 miles outside of Fairfield.

Early in the day, the fire destroyed one home, a few barns and caused one non-critical injury as it moved into a remote area of Solano County, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

As it advanced to a more populated part of the county, residents feared the worst.

“It’s kind of tense right now,” said Mary Kolbert, 74, watching as the fire burned to within 1,000 feet of her home in the northernmost part of Green Valley at 5 p.m.

Flames 7 feet high moved through the brush, crackling louder than a campfire. A helicopter flew overhead, and dropped hundreds of gallons of water on the hillside.

Close to 100 firefighters formed a line where undeveloped ranch land met the subdivision. Another 250 firefighters were placed in other strategic areas around the blaze.

Helicopters, prop plans and a converted DC-10 jetliner peppered the line with water and flame retardant.

The strategy appeared to have worked. The fire’s southerly progression kicked east late Sunday. It was 35 percent contained.

Kolbert’s home and more than 200 hundred others in the area appeared safe, but firefighters planned to spend the night in the area in case strong winds kicked up the flames.

Earlier, the fire skirted among expensive ranch homes in the hills between Napa and Fairfield.

“The dramatic thing was watching the fire come down the road toward our home,” said Marilyn Roscoe, who lives near where the fire started at border of Napa and Solano counties.

She and her husband sat in their living room as “a wall of flames” roared past their ridgetop home at 11 p.m. Saturday.

Firefighters blasted the flames with hoses, and by 1 a.m. the fire had moved on, leaving a wide swath of blackened earth that continued to smolder Sunday. The Roscoes lost two barns and an old, unoccupied house on their property.

Firefighters from Penngrove’s Rancho Adobe fire district were stationed in the area, and it was a long night for them.

“There hasn’t been much sleep,” said Capt. Bill Adams.

Adams and his three-man crew were strategically placed along Twin Sisters Road on the west side of Suisun Valley to protect a home, and they managed to keep the fire away from the house.

Up the street a mile, fire ate away the base of a power pole. A wooden stump dangled from the lines, and as strong winds blew, the end of the pole smoldered orange like an enormous, suspended cigar.

Adams wonders what the rest of the fire season holds, noting he hadn’t seen fires of this caliber start so early in the year.

“It’s crazy. This is stuff you wouldn’t expect to see until September or October,” said the 20-year veteran. “There are going to be a lot of tired people by the end of this season.”

As airplanes dropped massive amounts of flame retardant near Green Valley, residents fled.

“I loaded up the car with everything that was valuable,” said Ed Levin. “It’s nerve-wracking. You never know what is going to happen.”

Up the street, Chris Dowling and his wife, Cecilia, loaded trailers with old cars and antique furniture.

“Everything we’re taking, I’m hoping we can bring back,” said Cecilia Dowling.

At the Kolbert home, tensions ran high as the family stood by, waiting. The flames moved closer. Three Fairfield firefighters stood by with hoses, their fire engine parked in the driveway.

“It’s wait and see,” said Capt. Robert Bartoli.

At 6 p.m., it seemed inevitable the flames would reach the home. The family paced around their deck, ready to retreat, if necessary.

Helicopters and planes passed over head, dumping load after load of retardant.

“We’re the biggest fans of these helicopters,” Mary Kolbert said. “They’re doing a good job too.”

Within an hour, the fire that once seemed inevitable turned east toward ranch land.

“I think we got it under control here,” Bartoli said. “They were lucky.”