Wragg Fire near Lake Berryessa extinguished

Cal Fire officials reported Thursday that the Wragg wildfire southeast of Lake Berryessa in Napa and Solano counties had been fully extinguished with all cleanup and repair work done and no more fire personnel in the area.

The fire burned 8,051 acres in a rural area mostly south of Highway 128 that included the Putah Creek Wildlife Area. The fire destroyed one residence and four outbuildings and damaged two additional outbuildings, Cal Fire officials said.

The fire started July 22 when a driver in a burning vehicle pulled over on Highway 128 near Wragg Canyon Road in Napa County, according to CHP reports. The fire spread rapidly, burning through tinder-dry vegetation and fanned by erratic winds.

The area is steep and rugged, with some deep canyons only accessible to fire crews dropped from aircraft.

Four days after it started, crews had the blaze 65 percent contained at about 6,500 acres. But they suffered a setback on July 28 when the fire crossed a primary containment line on its southern side, racing across an additional 400 acres in Solano County and forcing the evacuation of 200 residents near Vacaville before it was contained.

However, firefighters gained the upper hand on the fire and made steady progress until full containment was achieved at 6 p.m. Wednesday, according to Cal Fire.

Cal Fire spokeswoman Suzie Blankenship said that fire crews had gone back into the areas where they had caused damage in the course of the firefight, mending fences and doing erosion control work.

“The goal is to put the land back in its best shape after the fire’s gone through,” Blankenship said.

Cal Fire officials did not provide a damage estimate for the fire. State Fish and Wildlife officials announced this week that public access to the 673-acre Putah Creek Wildlife Area would be closed until further notice due to the fire.

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.