Walbridge Fire 9AM Update – New Evacuation Orders

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UPDATE 9AM NEW EVACUATION ORDERS

All areas south of the Russian River map grid 1F2 east and north of highway 116, Pocket Canyon and west of Martinelli Road.

This is south of the Russian River, south of the Korbel Winery, and Hacienda. This does not include most of Forestville and the Mirabel Park Area, which are to the east of the new mandatory evacuation area. Forestville and Mirabel are under evacuation warnings at present. Please see the new evacuation area at socoemergency.org

WALBRIDGE LARGELY SETTLED DOWN OVERNIGHT, SOME MOVEMENT SOUTH AND EAST

After a busy Thursday afternoon when winds picked up as expected, and when the blaze was actively buring along Mill Creek, Cloud Creek and Palmer Creek Roads, the Walbridge Fire largely settled down overnight according to most reports, growing by an estimated 1,125 acres overall but according to best reports making no major overnight runs. On the northern front near Lake Sonoma, no large smoke plume was observed unlike late on Thursday, with smoke from surface spread visible. This was the area of greatest aerial assault and fire spread Thursday. In the south above Guerneville and Rio Nido, the Mt. Jackson camera showed gusty conditions and smoke rising through the trees with fire crews visible. The fire there had crossed to the south and east of Sweetwater Springs Road, and was slowly making its way south over Mt. Jackson and along Pool Ridge Road. In all of those places firefighters were doing backburns when possible and working on a bulldozer line from Pool Ridge above Guernewood Park to Mt. Jackson, to Westside Road.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Although still completing for resources with active fire complexes in the Bay Area, Santa Cruz Mountains and Sierra, additional ground and aerial support is expected Friday. According to State Senator Mike McGuire National Guard crews may be among ground crews expected to arrive late on Thursday and through the day Friday as they were pulled off other fires and would be assigned to critical fire areas. Those include west of Healdsburg in the canyons above the Dry Creek Valley and to help bolster and hold a fire line that crews are trying to establish north of Guerneville, Rio Nido and Hacienda. The fire saw the arrival of VLAT Very Large Air Tankers on Thursday with multiple drops and that will continue today if the fire picks up once again as expected with rising winds and lower humidity values this afternoon.

CAL FIRE MORNING UPDATE

At their 7:40AM update Cal Fire said the combined LNU Complex was now at 219 thousand acres with the Hennessey Complex of fires in Napa and Lake Counties at 195 thousand and 7 percent containment. 480 structures have been destroyed, most of those in the Hennessey Complex. Those 6 fires have merged and the general new movement was north into Lake County.

The Walbridge was at 21,125 acres, an increase of 1,125 acres since the Thursday evening update. There has been some structures destroyed, most along Mill Creek Road, and some reportedly in the rural areas north of Guerneville.

WALBRIDGE ACTIVITY, GROWTH OVERNIGHT THURSDAY

Multiple fire agencies reported a quiet night, with a big emphasis on evacuating those who have not yet left their homes in evacuation zones. The Sonoma Sheriff was being assisted by several dozen officers from the San Francisco Police Department in going door to door in impacted areas.

WEATHER AND WINDS

Due to a growing marine influence from the west, winds have pickup up but so has humidity which has helped to settle the fire down. Early Friday, winds were blowing from the west and northwest, with increased humidity levels even in areas away from the coast. The National Weather Service says this marine influence will continue into the weekend, bringing lower temperatures, more humidity and gusty afternoon winds from the west. The remnants of former Hurricane Genevieve are expected to arrive as a moisture plume sometime Sunday or early Monday. Most forecasters do not expected another lightning event like the one that started the North Bay Fires, but they have put a chance of showers and very light precipitation as a possiblity for the Sunday night Monday time frame.