Woodside Fire burns along Sonoma coast, smoke pollutes air quality in the North Bay
Woodside Fire burns along Sonoma Coast, polluted air li
CAL FIRE Battalion Chief Michael Sacheli on the firefight along the Sonoma Coast. He has the latest information on evacuation orders and warnings and says firefighters are working to contain the fire as the spread has slowed on Friday.
JENNER, Calif. - Smoky air persists and is expected to worsen on Saturday in the North Bay from the wind-blown Woodside Fire, burning along the Sonoma County Coast.
What we know:
CAL FIRE says the fire that started Thursday afternoon has burned 143 acres and is 37% contained. The fire is burning west of Highway 1 near the Timer Cove and Jenner neighborhoods, along the Pacific Coast.
Evacuation orders are still in place for parks and communities in the area.
Zone SON-1D1 is under an evacuation order and covers Salt Point State Park and Timber Cove, as well as the areas north of Fort Ross Road south of Kruse Ranch Road and Hauser Bridge Road, east of the coastline, and west of the south fork of the Gualala River, according to the Sheriff's Office.
A temporary evacuation shelter has been opened at Laguna High School (formerly El Molino) at 7050 Covey Road in Forestville, according to the county.
Highway 1 is closed as a result of the fire at Timber Cove Road and Stewarts Point -Skaggs Springs Road.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
CAL FIRE Battalion Chief Marshal Tubeville on Friday said a "strong north wind" had pushed the fire south. "During that process it ended up being four separate fires and there's also some other smaller fires," Tubeville said. He said the objective is to contain the fire west of the highway and east of the ocean and south of the Gerstle Cove Access Road and north of the Timber Cove subdivision.
Tubeville said crews worked throughout the night in rugged terrain to contain the fire. "We're gonna let the fire burn to the Pacific Ocean. It's also very steep to get firefighters in there," he said.
He said while they expect to make great progress, people in the area will continue to see smoky skies and air.
The hope is to open Highway 1 within the next two days, Tubeville said.
CAL FIRE is working with the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department and the emergency management department to lift evacuation orders and warnings. CAL FIRE officials said they were still evaluating the risks, but anticipated lifting evacuation orders and warnings by 6 p.m. on Friday. Tubeville had earlier said that they would most likely be lifted on Saturday.
No injuries have been reported from the fire. CAL FIRE's Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit has jurisdiction over the fire.
Smoky, bad air persists
Hazy, smoky skies and polluted air persists over the North Bay. KTVU meteorologists are recording WNW 20 mph winds in the area, easily carrying the smoke to other parts in the north.
A Spare the Air alert by the Bay Area Air District has been extended into Saturday, causing unhealthy and very unhealthy air quality conditions. Healdsburg is showing levels of particulate matter in the red zone on the PurpleAir map late Friday afternoon. These levels tend to fluctuate rapidly.
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Woodside Fire prompts evacuations, Highway 1 closures along Sonoma County coast
A wildfire burning along the Sonoma County coast prompted evacuations and road closures Thursday as firefighters worked to slow its spread.