Truck driver hauling water to firefighters killed – Newest fires strike Sugarloaf area, Rutherford as Nuns Complex spreads over the Mayacamas. Sonoma City battle eases – Updated 8:19 a.m. PDT 10/16/17

BREAKING NEWS – 8:32 a.m. – CAL FIRE PIO said that a truck driver hauling water to firefighters was killed in Napa County when he lost control of his vehicle and crashed off the side of the Oakville Grade abut 2 miles west of Highway 29. No further details are available at this time.

 

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This article is a continuation of several lengthy articles we have been updating since Sunday, Oct. 8, and which are now archived. Those articles can be found here:

 

• N. Calif wine country wildfire situation expected to intensify as wind picks up.
• Fires continue to grow; Red Flag Warning Tonight + Today’s current fire maps and status updates – Updated 6:26 am PDT 10/13/17
• Fire pushes into City of Sonoma’s NE corner driven by Red Flag winds. Containment advances on other fires. Death toll rises — Updated 5:36 pm PDT 10/14/17
• Favorable winds make for progress in wine country fires fights but Nuns Complex flares in Kenwood & City of Sonoma. Death toll hits state record. Updated 9:11 a.m. PDT 10/15/17

ALSO SEE: Status on 74 wineries (and wine businesses): Good, bad or gone – UPDATED 5:03.m., Oct. 14

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By Lewis Perdue, Wine Industry Insight Executive Editor/Publisher

TODAY’S SUMMARY:

• Containment up
• Fires growing more slowly
• Weather cooperating
• Some evacuations being lifted
• Power restored to most
• Nuns Complex is biggest worry

Fire from the Nuns Complex jumped over the Mayacamas from the Kenwood/Oakmont area of Sonoma Valley and scattered new hot spots in the Rutherford area of Napa Valley, according to recent satellite imagery (below). Fire officials said the flames destroyed several homes along Adobe Canyon Rd. leading up to Sugarloaf Ridge state park which is also sustaining damage.

Better news came from the City of Sonoma where fire crews beat back the flames that had spread into the northeast portion of town. Several reports from late Sunday indicated that Buena Vista and Bartholmew Park Wineries were still intact. Those reports are considered reliable but have not been officially confirmed yet.

The absence of Red Flag winds has allowed firefighters an opportunity to make continuing progress on fire line containments.

STATUS UPDATE:

• Death toll: 36 (Cal Fire + Sheriffs statements – Sonoma County: 22, Mendocino County:9, Napa County: 7)
  
• Containment (Cal Fire): Tubbs at 70%, Atlas at 68%, Nuns at 50%
• Acres Burned (Cal Fire): 188,512 (184,296 on 10/15). Scroll down for containment and detailed fire-by-fire info, below maps.
• Wineries damaged or destroyed (click for updates)
• People Evacuated: 90,000+ (Sheriffs)
• People without power: PG&E statement this morning said that most people will have power by the end of today.
• Structures damaged: 5.700+ (A deliriously optimistic understatement from officials since no one really knows yet)
• Weather: There are currently no watches in effect.  16 Oct 5:35 am PDT – National Weather Service: Today, areas of smoke. Sunny, with a high near 88. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon. Tonight: Areas of smoke. Partly cloudy, with a low around 46. West southwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.

* According to Cal Fire, the current fires have caused the largest death toll of any wildfire since accurate records were kept: California wildfires.

 

In addition, the death toll has exceeded the Griffith Park Fire which is considered the state’s largest single deadly fire with an official toll of 29.

 

Additional deaths in current fires in Yuba and Butte Counties have pushed the overall Northern California wildfire death toll to at least 40.

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 INCIDENT NOTICES: Go to Nixle and get local push alerts: text your zip code to 888777

See the latest Incident Update

See the latest Evacuation Map News Release

10/15/17 5 pm Evacuation Reductions

10/15/17 2 pm Calistoga Repopulation

10/15/17 1 pm Repopulation and Evacuation Advisory Order

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Above, an updated map from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group. Right-click image to enlarge. Click the interactive version.

 

Close-up view, below, of Kenwood/Sugarloaf/Rutherford hot spots

DETAILED FIRE INFO FROM CAL FIRE

NOTE: The acreage and containment for some of the fires is exactly the same as yesterday afternoon. We expect those will change this morning. Check back here after 9 a.m. when new numbers are likely to be available.

 

Tubbs Fire (Central LNU Complex) Updated: October 16, 2017 7:04 am
County: Napa County
Location: off of Hwy 128 and Bennett Ln, Calistoga
Acres Burned – 36,390 acres – 70% contained

 

Pocket Fire (Central LNU Complex ) Updated: October 16, 2017 7:05 am
County: Sonoma County
Location: off of Pocket Ranch Rd and Ridge Ranch Rd, Geyserville
Acres Burned – 11,889 acres – 40% contained

 

Atlas Fire (Southern LNU Complex) Updated: October 16, 2017 6:36 am
County: Napa County,Solano County
Location: off of Altas Peak Rd, south of Lake Berryessa
Acres Burned – 51,064 acres – 68% contained

 

Nuns / Adobe / Norbbom/ Pressley / Partrick Fires (Central LNU Complex) Updated: October 16, 2017 7:05 am
County: Sonoma County
Location: Hwy 12, north of Glen Ellen
Acres Burned – Containment – 48,627 acres – 50% contained

 

Oakmont Fire (Central LNU Complex): October 16, 2017 8:05 am
County: Sonoma County
Location: east side of Highway 12 near the Oakmont community southeast of Santa Rosa
Acres Burned: 875 – 15% contaiment

 

Redwood / Potter Fires (Mendocino Lake Complex) Updated: October 16, 2017 7:37 am
County: Mendocino County
Location: North of Hwy 20, west of Mendocino National Forest, south of Black Bart
Acres Burned: 35,800 acres – 50% contained

 

Sulphur Fire (Mendocino Lake Complex) Updated: October 16, 2017 7:38 am
County: Lake County
Location: off Hwy 20 and Sulphur Bank Road, Clearlake Oaks
Acres Burnedt: 2,207 – 85% contained

 

37 Fire: Updated: October 12, 2017 9:02 am
County: Sonoma County
Location: Hwy 37 & Lakeville Highway
Acres Burned – Containment: 1,660 acres – fire out.

 

Information Links

NAPA COUNTY

Napa County Sheriff’s Office:

SONOMA COUNTY

Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office

SONOMA CITY

City of Sonoma — A mostly poorly done effort with incomplete data and lacking both timeliness and specific information.

MENDOCINO COUNTY

LAKE COUNTY

Lake County CA Sheriff’s Department

SOLANO COUNTY

Fairfield, CA Police

Solano Sheriff

Twitter accounts & #hashtags

#sonomafire

Santa Rosa

@ MendoSheriff

@ CityofNapa

#GOES16

@ NWSBayArea

From Sonoma County

News Links

• ABC7
• NBC
• KPIX-CBS
• KRON4.com (CPU overload with too many crappy flash and animations running.)