Monday updates: Gov. Newsom issues state of emergency for Northern California wildfires

Here is the latest information on the Sonoma County fire, now called the Glass fire, which broke out Sunday night on the western side of the Napa Valley and burned into Santa Rosa. Check back for updates throughout the day:

10 PM: Gov. Newsom issues emergency proclamation for Glass, Zogg fires, requests federal aid

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday issue a state of emergency proclamation for two wildfires burning in Northern California, including the Glass fire in Sonoma and Napa counties.

The proclamation additionally covers the Zogg fire burning in Shasta County, which together with the Glass fire has led to the destruction of tens of thousands of acres and several homes, a news release from Newsom’s office said.

Newsom also sent a letter to President Donald Trump on Monday requesting he authorize a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration, which provides federal assistance to the state and local governments during emergencies.

The request sent to Trump was for wildfire response and recovery efforts in Fresno, Los Angeles, Madera, Mendocino, San Bernardino, San Diego and Siskiyou counties, the news release said.

8:20 PM: More than 100 buildings destroyed by Glass fire

The Glass fire has destroyed 113 buildings and damaged two others as of Monday night, Cal Fire said.

Nearly 1,500 personnel were on the ground battling the blaze, which had tripled in size since Monday morning, when it had consumed 11,000 acres. About 8,500 buildings remained threatened by the 36,200-acre blaze Monday night.

Above-average temperatures were expected overnight Monday with little added humidity, Cal Fire said.

6:45 PM: Evacuation orders extended to entire city of Calistoga

The entire of Calistoga in Napa Valley was placed under an evacuation order Monday afternoon.

City officials announced the expanded order at 6:21 p.m. via a Nixle alert. Route 29 in both directions and Highway 128 north were designated evacuation routes, the alert said.

An evacuation shelter was set up at the Crosswalk Church at 2590 First Street in Napa and evacuees were asked to wear masks if they went to the location.

6:05 PM: Local blazes have merged, growing to 36,200 acres with 0% containment by Monday night

The Glass fire and two blazes that stemmed from its falling embers overnight Sunday, the Shady and Boysen fires, have grown to a combined 36,200 acres Monday afternoon with no containment, CAL Fire Division Chief Ben Nicholls said during an evening news briefing.

They’ve since merged to create a single footprint and he expected the blazes would be folded together under and collectively named the Glass fire in the future, Nicholls said.

The thick smoke that covered the region was a sign that winds have died down since Sunday night, conditions that will favor firefighters battling the blazes overnight, Nicholls said.

While estimates for property damages caused by the fires were not available, Nicholls said the majority of the destruction happened before daybreak.

“The fire did make it to Oakmont and into (Trione-Annadel State Park) early this morning but there was a valiant firefight by our local fire firefighters and our Cal Fire firefighters here on the east side of Santa Rosa to save as many home as they could,” Nicholls said. “The statement I heard was that they saved a lot more than they lost.”

A 17-year-old teen was arrested Monday afternoon after he was seen hopping a residential fence near Maria Carrillo High School, which was under mandatory evacuation, said Spencer Crum, a Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office spokesman.

Deputies determined the teen, who was detained in the backyard of a nearby home, had no legal reason for being in the evacuated area, Crum said.

He was cited on suspicion of entering a closed emergency area and released to his parents, Crum siad.

Both the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office and officers with the Santa Rosa Police Department were patrolling areas under mandatory evacuation, officials said.

“We’re taking a zero tolerance approach to this,” Santa Rosa Police Chief Ray Navarro added.

5:45 PM: Over 25,000 PG&E customers in Sonoma and Napa counties have lost power due to wildfires

More than 25,000 Pacific Gas & Electric customers are currently without power due to the wildfires burning in Sonoma and Napa counties.

In Sonoma County, 14,996 customers have lost electricity. In Napa County, that number is 10,455, according to the utility.

PG&E initiated most of the outages at the request of Cal Fire to protect the safety of firefighters and first responders in the area, said utility spokesperson Tamar Sarkisian. Some customers may also have lost power when flames damaged PG&E equipment.

Separately, the utility has issued the all clear to start restoring power to most of the 65,000 customers in 16 counties across Northern California whose electricity was shut off starting Sunday to prevent potential wildfire starts.

In Napa County, PG&E has restored power to more than half of the 288 affected customers, Sarkisian said. In Lake County, all 55 customers now have electricity. And in Sonoma County, two customers have had power restored.

In a news release, PG&E said it has no information indicating the Glass fire was started by its equipment.

5:10 PM: FEMA aid made available for Glass fire survivors

All residents affected by the wildfires currently burning in Sonoma and Napa counties can now apply for disaster aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Applicants may receive grants for certain necessary expenses that are not covered by insurance.

The assistance can cover basic repairs to a home to make it safe, sanitary and livable. The aid may also be used for rent, medical expenses or other serious needs related to the fires.

Applicants can register by phone at 1-800-621-3362 or online at www.disasterassistance.gov.

In addition, FEMA has set up a mobile registration center at the Sonoma County Office of Education located at 5340 Skylane Blvd in Santa Rosa. The center is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, until further notice.

5 PM: Santa Rosa hospital treats at least nine for wildfire-related health conditions

At least nine people have been treated at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital’s emergency department for “conditions related to the wildfires,” according to St. Joseph Health, which owns the hospital.

Two people were treated for burns, with one transferred to a burn center, St. Joseph Health said in a news release. Seven showed signs of respiratory distress, including smoke inhalation.

Another dozen patients were treated at Queen of the Valley Hospital in Napa for respiratory conditions, the release said. Those numbers were current as of noon Monday, according to the hospital system’s news release.

4 PM: Santa Rosa mayor asks residents to heed evacuation orders

Santa Rosa Mayor Tom Schwedhelm is asking the thousands of city residents subject to evacuation orders due to the Glass fire to listen to those official calls to leave home and find safety elsewhere.

“Unfortunately, there always seem to be some folks who choose not to heed those warnings,” Schwedhelm said. “We’re not doing these evacuations for practice. We’re doing this for a reason. ... Don’t think you can do it on your own, because that leads to property damage, and quite frankly, death.”

Schwedhelm, a northwest Santa Rosa resident and former police chief, said the city had “improved our response tenfold” since the Tubbs fire in 2017, with better planning to ensure proper staffing and improved communications with county officials.

However, significant fire risk remained Monday afternoon, and Schwedhelm said he was particularly concerned about the possibility of the fire burning through Trione-Annadel State Park and into Bennett Valley or Rohnert Park.

“That is a big fear of mine, because those are densely populated areas,” he said.

People should “take care of themselves and treat each other well” during this latest disaster, Schwedhelm said.

“It’s frustrating, unfortunate — there’s so many other adjectives,” he said. “But it is what it is, so let’s work together.”

Schwedhelm said he was aware of some initial damage reports but noted that city code inspectors would not be able to conduct a full assessment until Cal Fire declared the fire under control and the area safe.

3 PM: At least 68,000 Sonoma County residents under evacuation orders

A total of 33,870 people are under an evacuation orders in unincorporated parts of Sonoma County, according to Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick.

Combined with an estimated 35,550 residents ordered to evacuate in the city of Santa Rosa, more than 68,000 people have been forced to flee their homes as the out-of-control Sonoma County fire continues to burn.

Another 14,624 unincorporated county residents are under evacuation warnings, Essick said in a video update on Facebook.

“We have deputies in your neighborhood, conducting evacuations, leading you to safety and providing public information,” Essick said. “We have sought help from our local mutual aid partners, so you’ll see other Sonoma County law enforcement in the field helping our deputies.”

2 PM: An estimated 35,550 Santa Rosa residents under evacuation orders as homes continue to burn

An estimated 35,550 people in Santa Rosa are currently under evacuation orders as homes continue to burn in the out-of-control Sonoma County fire.

There are currently 13,169 homes and 607 commercial structures covered by the mandatory evacuation order, according to Paul Lowenthal, Santa Rosa assistant fire marshal.

An additional 16,820 residents are also under evacuation warnings. In those areas, 6,229 homes and 471 commercial and other structures are threatened.

Lowenthal said it will take time to provide an estimate on the number of homes and buildings destroyed in east Santa Rosa communities since the fire is still burning.

“Although we’re not seeing as much activity here (in the Skyhawk community), there are still structures that are actively burning and catching fire around the area.”

There are currently no known fatalities.

On Monday morning, homes in Oakmont continued to burn.

At least one home behind the Ledson Winery on Highway 12 was severely burned.

On Monday afternoon, firefighters worked to put out a blaze in the winery’s underground drainage system.

View an interactive map of current evacuation zones here.

1:15 PM: Off-duty firefighter helping defend east Santa Rosa home recalls overnight firefight

Grant Newnom, an off-duty San Jose firefighter, made his way to east Santa Rosa late Sunday and early Monday to help defend his girlfriend’s parents home on Somerville Road.

Wind and erratic fire behavior, whipping up enough dirt and debris that made it necessary to wear goggles, made for “an absolute nightmare and a fight,” Newnom said, describing the experience as “unlike anything that I’ve personally seen.”

He credited luck and the arrival of Santa Rosa Fire Department’s Engine 3 for making a stand and saving the home — the structure survived, though fire burned all around it and destroyed nearby home.

“They were absolutely fantastic,” Newnom said of the Santa Rosa firefighters.

12:45 PM: Wind conditions expected to improve this afternoon

Dry winds fanning the flames of the Sonoma County fire have begun to subside since Sunday night and are expected to weaken through Monday afternoon and evening, according to the National Weather Service.

“For the most part, the wind threat is going to continue to decrease… that’s definitely some good news,” said Roger Gass, a weather service meteorologist.

Winds in parts of the North Bay Hills are currently blowing at 30-35 mph and are expected to drop to around 25 mph into the afternoon. Last night, wind speeds at high elevations reached highs of over 60 mph, according to the weather service.

In the lower valleys, winds are blowing at around 15-20 mph and should also decrease.

A red flag warning remains in effect for the North Bay until 9 p.m. Monday. Such warnings are triggered when there’s a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures, which can contribute to extreme fire behavior.

Gass warned that even as wind speeds decrease, critically low humidity is expected to persist.

“We are going to remain drastically dry through the region through end of the day,” he said.

Warm and dry and conditions will likely continue through the end of the week, Gass added

Due to smoke from the blaze, North Bay temperatures on Monday have been lower than originally forecast, according to weather service meteorologist Anna Schneider. In Santa Rosa, temperatures are currently hovering around 80 degrees, but will likely reach the low 90s into the afternoon, Schneider said.

12:15 PM: Spare the Air alert extended through Friday for Sonoma and Napa counties

Air quality regulators have extended a Spare the Air Alert for Sonoma and Napa counties through Friday as smoke from the Glass Incident fires covers the region.

Air quality in the North Bay has reached levels consider unhealthy for sensitive groups, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

Local residents are encouraged to stay indoors as much as possible with windows and doors closed until the smoke subsides and air quality improves.

11:45 AM: Maria Carrillo High School damaged by fire

At Maria Carrillo High School, Santa Rosa City Schools maintenance workers on Monday morning boarded broken windows on a charred classroom on the north end of the campus.

It was the only visible damage to the school from Sunday night's fire.

Alex Escobar, head custodian for Santa Rosa High School and Raphael Sanabria, custodian manager for Santa Rosa City Schools, used plywood to patch the windows. Bushes near the burned wall were charred.

The mountainside on the other side of Calistoga Road was completely blackened and the large "2010" numbers are the side of the hill were barely visible.

Inside the classroom, there was a strong smell of smoke and tables and desks near the windows were covered in water.

"I believe it started with the bushes," said Sanabria, add that the classroom was the only building damaged at the school.

11:10 AM: Santa Rosa warns of potential for further evacuations

The city of Santa Rosa warned residents in three areas of the city to prepare to evacuate if conditions worsen. They include

East-1

This includes all areas within this perimeter: East of Farmers Lane, North of Hoen Ave, West Summerfield Rd, South of Highway 12, west of Mission and Montgomery Dr between Highway 12 and Summerfield Rd

East-2

This includes all areas within this perimeter: West of Summerfield Rd, North of City boundary (South end of Bennett Valley Golf Course), South of Hoen Ave, East of Cypress Way, East of Creekside Rd to Yulupa Ave, East of Yulupa Ave (between Tachevah Dr to South City boundary)

East-3

This includes all areas within this perimeter: North of Bennett Valley Rd, West of Yulupa Ave, South of Tachevah Drive.

10:15 AM: Smoke layer over fire grounds air attack

A layer of smoke over the fire has air tankers and helicopters grounded, Sonoma County Fire District Chief Mark Heine said in a text.

“Visibility very poor on Hwy 12 side (of the fire),” he said. “Can’t fly until smoke layer lifts.”

The air attack has started on the Napa County side of the fire, Kerrie Lindecker, an aide to state Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, said in an email.

State Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, said by telephone he saw a helicopter drop water on flames east of St. Helena.

9:40 AM: Petaluma Veterans Building evacuation center reaches capacity

The Petaluma Veterans Building had quickly reached its reduced, 100-person capacity in the early hours Monday morning, with ongoing pandemic restrictions for social distancing limiting the number of Glass fire evacuees that can be safely sheltered.

The building can typically house as many as 450 people, according to county officials. Many sat in their cars in the adjacent parking lots since there was no space inside, or because they had pets.

County staff were at the entrance performing brief health checks, including temperature readings, to ensure no one was showing any symptoms before letting them in.

The Red Cross, which has been stretched thin supporting wildfire events throughout California and the West Coast, had not yet arrived to provide shelter support.

However, food and supplies were slowly trickling in from other sources.

9AM: Mountain Hawk neighbor stays to help homes from burning

One resident of the Skyhawk Community in east Santa Rosa sent his family away Sunday night but vowed to stay and protect his home and those of neighbors.

Jas Sihota, 49, a radiology technician at Kaiser Permanente, worked to help save five neighborhood homes using garden hoses.

“I’m no cowboy, I just didn’t want to lose my house,” he said.

Sihota knew the situation was dire when he saw his maple tree bending from the wind Sunday night. Beyond that, he saw a sky completely red.

He told his family to leave and he remained, as he said he had done in previous evacuations.

Seeing embers the size of golf balls, Sihota sprayed the roofs of his house and several others before flames arrived. Later, he said, he saw fences and landscaping catch fire and doused them.

At least a dozen homes were destroyed in the Skyhawk Community, the bulk of which on the stretch of Mountain Hawk between Brigadoon Way and Nighthawk Drive.

Sihota’s home survived and he has remained in the neighborhood despite power being out. He purchased a whole home generator last year to power his house.

8:35 AM: About a dozen homes burned on Mountain Hawk Drive

About a dozen homes have been reduced to rubble on Mountain Hawk Drive between Brigadoon Way and Nighthawk Drive.

Flames crested a ridge north of the street overnight in the Skyhawk community north of Highway 12.

Some small fires remained active, but much of the flames had been doused. Crews continued to do mop up around 8 a.m. Monday.

In the gloomy, smoky air, almost a dozen fire engines from agencies throughout Sonoma County and the greater Bay Area patrolled.

Engines from Redwood City, San Francisco, San Mateo, San Bruno, Petaluma, Shell Vista, Forestville, Graton and Southern Marin were all in the area at daybreak assisting Santa Rosa firefighters.

Some people apparently had either stayed in defiance of the evacuation order or returned this morning.

7:45 AM: Sonoma, Napa fires swell to 11,000 acres

Three fires burning out of control in Sonoma and Napa counties had engulfed 11,000 acres by Monday morning and threatened more than 8,500 structures, Cal Fire said.

A force of 1,070 firefighters were battling the fires, which quadrupled in size overnight and are now being called the Glass Incident by Cal Fire.

The Glass fire started at 3:50 a.m. Sunday on the eastern side of the Napa Valley, east of Silverado Trail between Calistoga and St. Helena. Two additional fires, the Shady and Boysen fires, broke out Sunday night on the western side of the Napa Valley, on the slopes of Spring Mountain above St. Helena.

Wind-driven flames from the Shady fire pushed over the mountain and into the eastern edge of Santa Rosa, where firefighters are trying to protect homes.

“Crews have reported the fire has had short-range spotting with wind driven runs. A red flag warning is in effect through today for strong and gusty offshore winds, low humidty and dry fuels,” Cal Fire said in its Monday morning update.

7:40 AM: Bennett Valley may soon be under warning; no damage or fire size estimates

Residents in the Bennett Valley area should expect an evacuation warning soon as the Shady fire advances westward, fire officials said early Monday.

Around 6:40 a.m., those in the Summerfield and Spring Lake areas were ordered to leave.

The fire is advancing toward Trione-Annadel State Park, and Bennett Valley-area residents to the south and west should prepare to leave, Sonoma County Fire District Chief Mark Heine said.

The fire, possibly spawned by the Glass fire that began in Napa County early Sunday, has burned an unknown number of acres and several homes, though neither Heine nor Santa Rosa Fire Chief Tony Gossner could estimate numbers.

About 13,000 households and commercial buildings have been placed under evacuation orders, Gossner said. More are likely as the fire remains uncontained.

Two classrooms at Maria Carrillo High School burned when embers sparked a spot fire, Heine said.

Homes and other structures have burned along Calistoga Road near Highway 12, Los Alamos Road, the Skyhawk community and St. Helena Road, he said.

“There have been multiple structures damaged and destroyed, but I couldn’t begin to tell you how many,” he said.

Same with injuries, both chiefs said. There may be injuries, but no count or estimate was available.

Some damage and acreage figures may be available later Monday as daylight allows assessment.

“Crews are actively engaged in structure defense,” near the high school and in other areas, Heine said.

Flames crossed Highway 12 near Oakmont Sunday night, but have not yet burned inside the community, he said.

The fire is burning toward Annadel, which will pose challenges for fire crews.

“It is very difficult terrain and it expands our evacuations areas quite a bit,” he said.

Evacuation areas at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, the Santa Rosa Veterans Building and Petaluma Veterans Building are at capacity.

Those leaving their homes are asked to head to Sonoma Raceway, a Place to Play in west Santa Rosa or the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds in Petaluma.

With a continued red flag fire-weather warning and expected high temperatures, with wind at elevations, it will be a difficult day on the fire line, Heine said.

Residents in the county and Santa Rosa should prepare, he said.

“People should be concerned,” he said. “People should be watching the news today, reading the online blogs, listening to KSRO, keeping track of where this fire’s going. Be prepared to evacuate if you have to. Heed the orders immediately. Don’t wait. We only issue those when there is an immediate danger.”

6:55 AM: Santa Rosa expands evacuation orders

Santa Rosa issued mandatory fire evacuation orders early Monday for two new areas: Summerfield and Spring Lake.

Residents are ordered to leave immediately and advised to head south. The order includes these areas:

Summerfield

The order includes areas within this perimeter: East of Summerfield Road, South of Stonehedge Drive, North of the city boundary, West of the city boundary (at Annadel State Park)

Spring Lake

North of Stonehedge Avenue, East of Summerfield Road, West of Violetti Rd (the ast side of Spring Lake), South of Highway 12 (between Mission Boulevard and Calistoga Road), South of Montgomery Road (between south end of Calistoga Road to Channel Drive)

Evacuation points are set up in these locations

Santa Rosa: A Place to Play, 2375 West Third Street

Petaluma: Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds (accepting sheltering in cars and RVs; also large animals. Not ready for congregant sheltering at this point.), 175 Fairgrounds Drive

Sonoma: Sonoma Raceway (Temporary Evacuation Point, car sheltering and camping), 29355 Arnold Dr.

The Santa Rosa veterans building, Sonoma County Fairgrounds and Petaluma Veteran’s Building are at capacity.

Several schools are closed

From the Sonoma County Office of Education:

The following school districts are closed Monday due to fire threat and evacuation:

Bennett Valley Union School District (no distance learning)

Kenwood School District (no distance learning)

Rincon Valley Union School District (no distance learning)

Santa Rosa City Schools: Hidden Valley Elementary, Rincon Valley Middle School, and Maria Carrillo High School (Offline independent learning if possible)

These closures and any additional ones can be viewed at the SCOE website.

Road closures

All lanes of Highway 12 between Mission Boulevard and Pythian Road

Eastbound Montgomery Drive east of Mission Boulevard

All roads east of Calistoga Road between Montecito Boulevard and Highway 12

You can reach Staff Writer Lori A. Carter at 707-521-5470 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @loriacarter.

5:20 AM: Santa Rosa expands mandatory evacuation zone

The city of Santa Rosa has issued mandatory evacuation orders for the entirety of the Northeast 2 and Northeast 3/Middle Rincon zones as the Shady fire continues to threaten the eastern part of the city.

Northeast 2 includes all areas east of Brush Creek Road, north of Montecito Boulevard, west of Calistoga road and south of the city boundary north of Badger Road.

Northeast 3/Middle Rincon includes all areas east of Mission Boulevard, north of Highway 12, south of Montecito Boulevard and west of Calistoga Road.

To check to see what evacuation zone you live in, click here.

For a map of current evacuation zones, click here.

Evacuees can go to the following locations:

Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds, 175 Fairgrounds Drive, Petaluma (accepting sheltering in cars and RVs. Not ready for congregant sheltering at this point.)

Petaluma Veterans Building, 1094 Petaluma Blvd. South, Petaluma (Temporary Evacuation Point and shelter)

Sonoma Raceway, 29355 Arnold Drive, Sonoma (Temporary Evacuation Point, car sheltering and camping)

Santa Rosa city officials have opened up a temporary evacuation point at A Place to Play park, 2375 West Third Street in Santa Rosa where residents can regroup and get help from staff who speak English or Spanish.

5:07 AM : Fire crews protect Oakmont as spot fires pose challenge in Skyhawk

The Shady fire continues to spawn small spot fires in Skyhawk, where several homes have burned. Fire crews and at least one resident were moving through the neighborhood, pouncing on new starts as they sprung up.

Most of the damage on Mountain Hawk Drive was between Brigadoon Way and Night Hawk Drive. One house was burning on the north end of Mountain Hawk at Brigadoon about 4:30 a.m. Embers from that fire caused landscaping across the street to ignite, and resident Jas Sihota ran up with a long hose that he used to put out the shrub.

Sihota, who lives on Great Heron Drive, which becomes Mountain Hawk Drive where it crosses Brigadoon, moved through the neighborhood, using hoses to put out small spot fires as they erupted. He extinguished the same shrub on Brigadoon at least twice during a span of about 15 minutes.

Sihota, 49, said he was watching a football game at 8 p.m. before he came outside and “it was raining quarter-sized embers.”

“I stayed here through all the fires,” Sihota said. “But they never got this close.”

4:58 AM: Homes along Highway 12 burn

By 4:30 a.m., a stretch of Highway 12 between Los Alamos Road and Oakmont Drive has transformed into an ember-strewn moonscape. The husks of vanquished trees formed clusters on both sides of the highway.

Homes along the east side of this road that connects Santa Rosa to the wine-rich Sonoma Valley were decimated.

A handful of engines and their determined crew members kept the fire from destroying any structures in the Oakmont Village retirement community, home to some 5,000 senior Santa Rosans.

Flames lapped at fences and landscaping, and they dazzled 100 feet above rooftops as they took apart the mature canopy on the north edge of this secluded community, which has its own grocery store and two golf courses.

Winds swirled but had weakened considerably by 4 a.m., making for a less daunting pace as firefighters bopped from one backyard to another, dousing flames.

A bulldozer line helped, too, chewing up would-be fire fuel and breaking up what could have been a united fire front before it got to the backside of the homes.

3:30 AM: Fire crews protect homes in Piedmont Heights, St. Francis as Shady fire burns homes in east Santa Rosa

Homes in Piedmont Heights, St. Francis and other neighborhoods east of Calistoga Road and north of Highway 12 but west of Skyhawk were largely unscathed by fire as of about 3 a.m. Monday. The hills above them were heavily charred by the Shady fire and backfires set by crews to keep flames away from homes.

“I sure didn’t expect this whole mountain to go up like it did,” said David Cox, 75, who lives on Ronaldo Street and stayed behind to protect his home, which he’s lived in for about three years. He watched the hillside smolder from Montclair Drive and said he was thankful for everything firefighters did to protect homes like his.

3:11 AM: Evacuation centers moved to Petaluma

Evacuation centers are being moved from Santa Rosa to Petaluma “out of an abundance of caution,” according to county spokesman Paul Gullixson. The Santa Rosa Veterans building and the Santa Rosa Fairgrounds are closing as shelters.

Evacuees can go to the following locations:

Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds, 175 Fairgrounds Drive, Petaluma (accepting sheltering in cars and RVs. Not ready for congregant sheltering at this point.)

Petaluma Veteran’s Building, 1094 Petaluma Blvd. South, Petaluma (Temporary Evacuation Point and shelter)

Sonoma Raceway, 29355 Arnold Dr., Sonoma (Temporary Evacuation Point, car sheltering and camping)

Santa Rosa city officials have opened up a temporary evacuation point at A Place to Play park, 2375 West 3rd Street, Santa Rosa

Hundreds of elderly fire evacuees including this bus load from Oakmont waiting for a place to rest at Vets Memorial Auditorium, Santa Rosa, CA (Erick Castro/The Press Democrat)

2:32 AM: Shady fire surrounds Oakmont, enters Trione-Annadel State Park

By 2:30 a.m. the Shady fire was nearing the senior community of Oakmont, surrounding it on three sides — destroying houses on Melita Road, scorching the ridgeline and creeping down from the east and igniting in Trione-Annadel State Park to the south.

A local battalion chief said they had just a few engines at the ready to protect Oakmont.

“We’re doing the best we can with what we’ve got,” he said.

2:14 AM: Sheriff’s Office expands evacuations

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office has expanded evacuation orders to two areas as homes continue to burn or be threatened along Santa Rosa’s eastern edge.

Residents of these areas are advised to evacuate as quickly as possible. This is in addition to the roughly 10,500 people already under orders to evacuate, according to Sonoma County Spokesman Paul Gullixson.

Those zones include:

Zone 6A2, which is southwest of Highway 12, east and north of Warm Springs Road and northwest of Arnold Drive.

Zone 6B3, which is northeast of Highway 12, southeast of Nuns Canyon Road/Nelligan Road, southwest of the Napa/Sonoma county line and northwest of Trinity Road.

Sheriff’s officials are urging residents to head east toward Sonoma, as Highway 12 westbound is gridlocked.

First responders are going door to door to assist people in these areas.

2 AM: Homes along Sunhawk Drive threatened

The Shady fire is threatening homes along Sunhawk Drive near Mystic Point in Santa Rosa, with a spot fire burning a fence close to one home. Crews stationed in the neighborhood are moving quickly to put out the blaze.

Sonoma County spokesman Paul Gullixson and his family were among the 10,500 residents of Sonoma County ordered to evacuate their homes late Sunday as the Shade fire burned into Santa Rosa’s eastern outskirts.

Joining the throngs of people fleeing their homes, the drive from his Skyhawk neighborhood to the county complex in north Santa Rosa took about 1½ hours, Gullixson said.

He could hear the sound of machinery as he left, possibly dozers cutting fire breaks into the steep hillsides. And he reflected that it appeared that many people appeared to evacuate quickly and without delays. The fire started as a glow, “then suddenly you see these big flames licking the sky.”

“I’ve always looked up in those hills, they’re beautiful, but I always wondered if they were safe,” Gullixson said. “I prayed nothing would ever happen, but nothing is out of bounds anymore. Everything is vulnerable.”

The county opened its emergency operations center about 8:30 p.m. Sunday to coordinate evacuation shelters and other response needs for the fire.

1:43 AM: Shady fire jumps Highway 12 near Oakmont, homes in Skyhawk burning

The Shady fire has crossed Highway 12 near the northern most entrance to Oakmont, according to Santa Rosa police officers in Oakmont.

Dozens of Santa Rosa and Petaluma police officers are gathered at the Berger Community Center to coordinate door-to-door evacuations, beginning about 1:30 a.m. for any residents remaining in Oakmont.

In Santa Rosa, about a half-dozen homes were burning along Mountain Hawk Drive in the Skyhawk neighborhood as fire crews battle house-to-house.

1:32 AM: Sonoma County marshals resources to protect east Santa Rosa

Sonoma County Fire District Chief Mark Heine said “it’s a critical need right now” to get additional firefighting resources to defend eastern Santa Rosa against the Shady fire, which remained wholly uncontrolled early Monday.

As of 1 a.m. Monday, the fire posed the greatest threat to the community of homes along Los Alamos Road between Highway 12 and Hood Mountain and the Skyhawk subdivision.

“We have way more homes to protect than engines to protect them,” Heine said.

Heine said he believes the blaze now forcing the evacuation of thousands in Sonoma County started as a spot fire from the 2,500-acre Glass fire burning on the eastern rim of the Napa Valley.

The Shady fire was first reported about 8 p.m. near Spring Mountain Road west of St. Helena, growing quickly and burning into the St. Helen Road canyon and over the Hood Mountain area.

By 9 p.m. Sunday, Sonoma County fire issued an “all call” asking for all available firefighting resources to join the firefight. Heine said that by 1 a.m., roughly 40 Sonoma County fire engine crews were battling the fire in addition to Cal Fire resources, a strike team from San Francisco and others on the way.

Weather was a critical factor.

The temperature was in the mid 80s with light wind on the valley floor, “but I can tell by the smoke it’s blowing pretty hard at the ridgelines,” Heine said.

“The fire is along the entire length of the ridgeline from Calistoga Road all the way down to Los Guillicos,” Heine said. “We’re dealing with a lot of spot fires, burning embers in the air. The fire is in and around the homes in the Skyhawk area.”

12:58 AM: Oakmont Gardens assisted living facility evacuated

At Oakmont Gardens assisted living facility in Oakmont Village, staff are helping about 120 masked residents, some with walkers, board two full-size Santa Rosa CityBuses as the Shady fire has cut a wall of flame along Sugarloaf Ridge to the east.

The sky has turned orange and ash is raining from the sky.

By midnight, flames were visible to the southeast from Highway 12 and Calistoga Road. Traffic was backed up along Highway 12 within the city of Santa Rosa to about Calistoga Road and close to Oakmont Village, but was flowing smoothly in between.

Sonoma County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Susan Gorin said it took her an hour and a half to evacuate along with other residents near Oakmont. She lost her home almost three years ago in the Nuns fire and said tonight reminded her of that night. She worried for neighbors in the Sonoma Valley and Santa Rosa.

12:46 AM: Evacuation warning expands in Santa Rosa

The City of Santa Rosa has issued an evacuation warning for the zone Northeast 2, meaning residents should prepare to evacuate if conditions worsen.

The area includes all areas east of Brush Creek Road, north of Montecito Boulevard, west of Calistoga Road and south of the city boundary.

If you are uncertain which evacuation zone you fall under, you can view the city’s map here.

For a current map of evacuation zones, click here.

12:27 AM: Fire crews standing guard along Sunhawk Drive

Fire crews have fanned out along the evacuated Sunhawk Drive northeast of Skyhawk in Santa Rosa, ready to protect homes there from the Shady fire as it scorches the long ridgeline that borders eastern Santa Rosa neighborhoods such as Skyhawk, St. Francis and Los Alamos.

With dozens of fire engines deployed, crews with headlamps and flashlights are patrolling backyards and watching for spot fires while bulldozers carve fire breaks into the hillside.

Above the deserted neighborhood, fire perches on the ridgeline, occasionally devouring stands of large trees, illuminating the empty neighborhood and sending out a menacing roar. A huge swath of land to the northeast stands smoldering as fire crews can be seen working well to the north.

12 AM: Santa Rosa warns three areas to prepare for possible evacuation

The city of Santa Rosa warned residents in three areas of the city to prepare for the possibility of evacuation, if conditions worsen. They include:

Spring Lake

This includes all areas within this perimeter: North of Stonehedge Ave, East of Summerfield Rd, West of Violetti Rd (East side of Spring Lake), South of Highway 12 (Between Mission Blvd and Calistoga Rd), South of Montgomery Rd (between south end of Calistoga Rd to Channel Dr)

Summerfield

This includes all areas within this perimeter: East of Summerfield Rd, South of Stonehedge Dr, North of the City boundary, West of the City’s boundary (Annadel State Park)

Northeast – 3 / Middle Rincon

This includes all areas within this perimeter: East of Mission Blvd, North of Highway 12, South of Montecito Blvd, West of Calistoga Rd