County fire in Yolo-Napa counties at 30 percent containment

Firefighters made gains Thursday battling a monstrous blaze in Yolo and Napa counties, but authorities are concerned higher temperatures and lower humidity expected this weekend will only invigorate the flames.

The County fire, which ignited Saturday and is burning in the rugged hills east of Lake Berryessa, increased by 2,000 acres on Thursday to 88,000 acres. Containment increased by 6 percent, up to 33 percent by Thursday night, according to Cal Fire.

Nine structures have been destroyed, and the flames still threatened about 110 structures, the agency said Thursday night.

“Steep and inaccessible terrain has created difficulty for firefighters on the northern end of the fire. Damage inspections have been initiated and are ongoing,” Cal Fire said in a statement.

Firefighters made progress on the southern end of the fire, mopping up along Highway 128 near Winters and the Monticello Dam, Cal Fire Capt. Jordan Motta said.

The blaze is the largest wildland fire in California this year, and full containment isn’t expected until Tuesday.

“We started looking good on the south side, but the fire is still burning pretty actively in the north. It’s very steep country with lots of narrow canyons up there. It’s rural, rugged terrain,” he said.

The closure of Highway 128 between Markley Cove Resort and Pleasants Valley Road was lifted early Thursday, Cal Fire said. Evacuation advisories and road closures in Napa County were lifted for areas east of Capell Valley Road and north of State Highway 128, including the Berryessa Highlands, Pleasure Cove Resort, Markely Cove Resort and homes accessed by Steele Canyon Road, Cal Fire said.

In Solano County, closures were lifted north of Quail Canyon Road, south of State Highway 128, east of the Blue Ridge Mountains and west of Pleasants Valley Road, Cal Fire said.

But the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office ordered an additional mandatory evacuation and road closure west of State Highway 16 to the line at Yolo and Lake counties, north of County Road 40 and south of the Yolo County line, Cal Fire said. State Highway 16 has been closed between State Highway 20 and Rumsey Hall, Cal Fire said.

Temperatures are expected to jump to the mid-90s over the weekend in the County fire area, with lowering humidity and winds as high as 25 mph in higher elevations, National Weather Service Meteorologist Tom Dang said.

“It’s going to get hotter and drier in the next couple of days,” Motta said. “The fire has the potential to increase.”

That weather isn’t out of the ordinary for this time of year, Dang said, but it can be irksome for a firefight.

“While conditions are certainly warming up, they’re nowhere close to this past weekend when the fire initially got started,” he said.

The County fire as of Thursday night has drawn 4,041 firefighters, 348 fire engines, 52 water tenders, 25 helicopters, 86 hand crews and 72 bulldozers. The fire is about 18 miles long at its greatest extent, Motta said.

“The No. 1 challenge is just the sheer size. … It’s a very large fire,” he said. “It’s about 130 square miles.”

Meanwhile, in Lake County, the Pawnee fire is also expected to be fully contained Tuesday, Cal Fire said. The blaze northeast of Clearlake Oaks has consumed 15,000 acres and was 92 percent contained Thursday night. The fire is active along a finger of the southernmost tip, in a remote area east of Clear Lake Keys, said Deputy Chief Scott McLean.

More than 800 people are still assigned to the fire that ignited June 23; the force includes 22 engines, 13 water tenders, 1 helicopter and 13 hand crews, Cal Fire said Thursday night. Aerial drops are supplementing hand crews’ efforts, Cal Fire spokeswoman Tricia Austin said.

It has destroyed 22 structures and damaged six. One firefighter was injured.

Walker Ridge Road and Highway 20 remain closed, though all evacuation orders have been lifted, Cal Fire said.

“Everything has kind of settled down, which is good for us,” Austin said. “We’re expecting it to be hot with lower humidity tomorrow so we’re just trying to keep patrolling out there and hitting any hot spots or smokes we see. ... Things are looking really good.”

Total containment in the Pawnee fire has been moved from Saturday to Tuesday, given the volatile nature of the fire, McLean said.

“The weather conditions dictate a lot of cases with this type of thing,” he said. “They’re definitely working hard out there. … The Pawnee fire blew over the weekend and went across the containment line - it was 73 percent contained and still jumped the line and added about 150 acres of growth. That’s how volatile this is. It’s a constant fight to get those lines in and make sure those lines hold.”

Staff Writer Bill Swindell contributed to this report. You can reach Staff Writer Hannah Beausang at 707-521-5214 or hannah.beausang@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @hannahbeausang.