Large swath of Santa Rosa evacuated, emergency shelters centers open across Sonoma County

Emergency shelters have been opened across Sonoma County to take in thousands of fire evacuees.

The Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa and the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma were available for those with large animals.

For the list of shelter sites in Sonoma County, visit here.

The American Red Cross is helping with shelters in locations in Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino and Lake counties.

“The main thing we are focusing on is providing safe space for people who evacuated in the middle of the night,” Red Cross spokeswoman Cynthia Shaw said.

The Red Cross has personnel at the evacuation shelters at Finley Community Center in Santa Rosa, Twin Pine Casino in Middletown, Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Crosswalk Community Church in Napa, Ukiah High School and Willits Community Center.

About 300 large animals, mostly horses, have arrived at the Santa Rosa fairgrounds and the facility has “plenty of room to take more in,” said Becky Bartling, CEO of the fair.

The fairgrounds has about 800 stalls available for evacuated animals, she said.

There are also 500 people at the fairgrounds, where they will be fed.

“We are doing our best to make them comfortable,” Bartling said.

About 1,000 people were at the veterans building across the street from the fairgrounds, she said.

Santa Rosa officials have evacuated a large swath of the north section of the city because of the threat of fires.

The city, which declared the fires a local emergency, said the evacuation area extends from Mark West Springs Road in the north and east to Wallace and Brush Creek roads. The east boundary dips as far south as Highway 12 and includes the hillside area above the Flamingo Hotel.

The southern boundary extends along Chanate Road and Guerneville Road, with the western boundary along Fulton Road.

Evacuation orders have issued for residents of the following areas in Santa Rosa and surroundings because of approaching fires:

• Cross Creek Road

• Sky Farm Drive

• Saint Andrews Drive

• All residences north Fountain Grove Parkway

• Montecito Heights

• West of Coffey Lane to Fulton Road, between Guerneville and River Road

• East of Fulton Road, between Piner Road and Guerneville Road

• Kaiser Permanente Hospital and Sutter Hospital are evacuated

• North of Guerneville Road/Steele Lane, from the Mendocino Avenue corridor to Fulton Road

• West of 101 in the Piner Road area to downtown Forestville

• Cloverdale KOA

• Palomino Road, all directions

• Vanoni Road to Gill Creek Road, all directions

• Arnold Drive to the state hospital and west of Jack London State Park

• Roberts Road, Lichau Road, Pressley Road, and Sonoma Mountain Road

• Rincon Valley (all areas north of Montecito Boulevard from Brush Creek Road to the eastern city limits) and all of the Oakmont area (east of Melita Road)

• Sonoma Developmental Center

• Mission Highland, Norrbom Road and Gehrick Road in Sonoma

• Frederick Ranch Road

• Cavedale Road

• Crane Canyon to Happy Trails

• Moon Mountain is under an advisory evacuation

• Wall Road north of Trinity Road

• Voluntary evacuation for the downtown area of Sonoma from Napa Street / Highway 12 to north of the city limits.

In the affected areas, residents “need to heed evacuation orders,” according to the city press release. “Evacuation means that you need to leave immediately!”