Wragg fire grows to 6,900 acres

A fast-moving wildfire grew to 6,900 acres Thursday, one day after the blaze was sparked, but its spread had slowed by nightfall. Rampaging flames damaged one home and spread through a mountainous area south and southeast of Lake Berryessa in Napa and Solano counties, Cal Fire officials said.

Ignited by a burning car, the fire started Wednesday in far eastern Napa County near Markley Cove on Highway 128 and spread east into Solano and Yolo counties, CHP Officer Anna Paulson said. The fire threatened about 200 homes in rural communities near the Putah Creek State Wildlife Area and was about 15 percent contained. As of 6 p.m., authorities lifted evacuation orders in the Golden Bear Estates Area and for residents on County Road 87.

Firefighting efforts have been hampered by the rugged, steep terrain, Cal Fire spokeswoman Suzie Blankenship said. Crews focused Thursday on protecting structure and improving containment lines.

Despite the efforts, the fire destroyed an outbuilding and tent trailer. No injuries have been reported.

Highway 128 remained closed from Wragg Canyon Road to Pleasant Valley as well as the highway’s intersection at Railroad Avenue.

The fire started just before 2:30 p.m. Wednesday and appeared to have sprung from a burning sedan that pulled off Highway 128 near Wragg Canyon Road in Napa County, said Paulson .

The initial call reporting the fire at about 2:30 p.m. may have been from an occupant of the car or a passing motorist, Paulson said. Preliminarily, it appeared a motorist experiencing car trouble pulled over in a steep gravel turnout, and the car fire spread to nearby vegetation, Paulson said. Investigators had not yet determined if a driver abandoned the burning car or fled the area in fear of the rapidly spreading fire, the sergeant said.

The fire moved fast, fanned by erratic winds.

Fire “jumped the road and took both sides of the road,” Paulson said. “The wind was just unforgiving up there, changing directions constantly.”

Several rural areas were evacuated and as of Thursday night, the Quail Ridge Community and Canyon Creek Area still remained closed for re-entry.

Reports indicated the fire spread into the southernmost portion of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, a 331,000-acre noncontiguous conservation area that President Barack Obama designed as federally protected earlier this month.

Two strike teams from Sonoma County headed to the area late Wednesday to help fight what Cal Fire has dubbed the Wragg fire. They were assigned to protect a bulldozer line throughout the night, making sure fire didn’t spread beyond it, Rancho Adobe Fire Battalion Chief Mike Weihman said.

They were dispatched to assist the firefight with what’s called an “immediate need” request, an indication that the fast-moving wildfire was threatening structures, Weihman said.

“It was explosive growth yesterday,” said Weihman, reached Thursday morning. Weihman was not in Napa County but had spoken with members of the local teams sent there.

“The fire was really active” when the crews arrived, but cooler coastal air came in overnight, he said.

By Thursday evening, the firefighting force had more than doubled to 1,372 personnel. As many as 161 fire engines, 13 helicopters and four airtankers were used to battle the blaze.

The Red Cross has opened an evacuation center at the Winters Community Center in Winters. A large animal evacuation center was opened at 29775 County Road 31 in Winters.

The firefighting team as of 6 p.m. included 118 engine truck companies, 41 fire crews, 14 water tenders, 24 bulldozers and 10 volunteer companies.

Weihman said that the two Sonoma County strike teams included Rancho Adobe, Glen Ellen, Gold Ridge, Wilmar, Sonoma, Forestville, Cloverdale, Healdsburg, Rincon Valley, Santa Rosa and Petaluma firefighters.

Staff Writer Bill Swindell contributed to this report. You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.