Marin lightning threat passes as Woodward fire fight continues
The red-flag fire warning was canceled for Marin County on Monday, as federal resources have taken command of the fight against the Woodward fire burning in the Point Reyes National Seashore.
The National Weather Service said residual showers and stray thunderstorms were possible throughout the North Bay, but the threat of lightning has passed. Breezy winds could accompany showers. There are no new fire weather threats through the end of the week, according to the weather service.
Briefing begins at 9-minute mark of video:
The vegetation fire, west of Olema and north of Bolinas, burned 2,487 acres and was at 5% containment as of 10:28 p.m. Sunday, the Marin County Fire Department said. The acreage was decreased from approximately 2,700 acres after officials obtained more accurate mapping, they said. The fire was started by lightning Tuesday.
The federal incident management team, Northern Rockies Team 2, from Montana, arrived Sunday and began strategizing its attack on the fire. With a larger crew, officials are relocating its incident command post from the Point Reyes National Seashore Visitor Center in Olema to the former San Geronimo Golf Course as it has outgrown the existing facility.
Incident page: More information
No injuries have been reported. More than 1,600 homes and businesses in Olema and Bolinas are under an evacuation warning.
“Having the incident management team here is a relief for us who have been here since last week,” Marin County fire Chief Jason Weber said. “They bring a lot of talent, a lot of resources.”
Weber said he is grateful to receive the continued air support, considering that more than 1.2 million acres are burning across the state and requests for resources remain competitive.
The county dodged a bullet as the threat of lightning passed, Weber said. “It was helpful.”
Mike Granger, the operations section chief of the Northern Rockies team, said officials have divided the fire zone into seven divisions and assigned teams to each to knock back the fire line.
He said firefighters continue to push through steep terrain and thick brush to get a grip on containing the fire. Heavy smoke creating low visibility has hindered air support, officials said.
Two bulldozer teams were able to create a fire break along the Santa Maria Ridge on the northwestern perimeter. Line crews are clearing brush along Limantour Road to slow fire movement. Firefighters have set up a fire line along the southeast boundary of the fire.
Aircraft was expected drop water and fire retardant on the blaze throughout the day Monday.
“We’ll be looking a lot better after today’s operational period,” Granger said.
There are 228 firefighters battling the blaze.
Monday briefing: Video conference
Evacuation warnings are in effect west of Shoreline Highway between Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in Olema south to Bolinas and west of Highway 1 and Drake to the Point Reyes Lighthouse. The warnings include the communities of Olema, Inverness, Inverness Park and Sea Haven.
Areas west of Sir Francis Drake to the Bay Area Ridge Trail, continuing to the Bolinas Ridge Fire Road and the McCurdy Trail are also under warning.
The Point Reyes National Seashore is closed until further notice.
“We stand together as a community, firefighters from across the nation here to protect you all, and we’re making good progress,” Weber said.
This story will be updated.