A prescribed burn along Highway 128 was followed Monday by a fast-growing wildfire near the eastern edge of Northern California’s Wine Country, where flames spread to nearly 362 acres and prompted evacuation warnings, a highway closure and an immediate structure threat.
The fire, named the Putah Fire, started at 11:34 a.m. along Highway 128 west of Winters, a small city near the Solano-Yolo county line about 30 miles west of Sacramento and northeast of the Napa Valley, Cal Fire said. It prompted evacuation warnings, an immediate structure threat and the closure of part of Highway 128.
In the dispatch audio, the incident commander for the Highway 128 prescribed burn reported a 3- to 4-acre wildland fire burning uphill. Cal Fire listed the cause of the fire as under investigation Monday afternoon, and authorities had not publicly confirmed whether the wildfire escaped from the prescribed burn or how it started.
The fire had been mapped at 361.7 acres by late Monday afternoon, according to Cal Fire. Air Attack also requested two Type 2 helicopters, one night helicopter coordinator and three night-flying helicopters because of fire growth and an immediate structure threat, Watch Duty reported.
The fire was burning in the same rural corridor where Cal Fire’s Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit had announced a prescribed burn scheduled for Monday. A state prescribed-fire listing showed the burn was approved for June 8, with Cal Fire as the managing agency, a “permissive” burn-day decision and a planned size of 45 acres.
The listing described the area as mostly native grasses, with occasional non-native grasses and yellow star thistle. It said the burn would be contained between the highway and a combination of bulldozer line and hand line.
A National Weather Service spot forecast prepared for the Highway 128 prescribed burn forecast west winds Monday afternoon, with slope and valley gusts around 35 mph. Monday night gusts were expected to reach up to 39 mph.
Highway 128 was closed in both directions from Monticello Dam because of the fire, according to the Napa County Sheriff’s Office. Watch Duty also reported that Incident Command had requested evacuation warnings for Golden Bear Estates and Bobcat Ranch.
Ten engines, four crews, three dozers, one water tender and one helicopter were assigned to the fire, along with air tankers flying suppression missions as conditions allowed, according to Cal Fire. Additional aircraft were requested throughout the afternoon as the fire grew, according to Air Attack reports relayed by Watch Duty.
Images from the area showed smoke rising from dry, grassy hillsides near Highway 128, with fire crews and aircraft working along the rural corridor. An ALERTCalifornia camera view from Mount Vaca showed a smoke column over the area late Monday afternoon.
No injuries or structural damage had been reported as of Monday afternoon.
Highway 128 runs through ranchland and recreation areas near Putah Creek and Lake Berryessa. The area sits near the edge of Northern California’s wine country and has seen repeated grass and vegetation fires during recent fire seasons.
Matthias Gafni and Anthony Edwards contributed to this report.