Firefighters gain some ground on Woodside Fire, but stretch of coast remains closed as North Bay is shrouded in smoke

The wildfire burning along a scenic stretch of the Sonoma Coast was in greater hand Friday, but it continued to generate huge amounts of smoke over the North Bay, while a stretch of Highway 1 remained closed, forcing nearby residents and guests to stay away and upending weekend plans as a heat wave sets in.

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The Woodside Fire broke out just before 2 p.m. Thursday near a campground entrance for Salt Point State Park and burned through thick forest carpeting coastal bluffs and steep ravines west of Highway 1.

Miles of hose lines lay alongside the roadway, which was closed to traffic and overtaken by emergency vehicles. Campgrounds that had been packed just a day before were left abandoned after the fire forced hundreds of residents and guests in and around the Timber Cove area to flee.

A northwest wind blowing at about 10 to 15 mph pushed the flames quickly south Thursday. The fire jumped a cove along the jagged coast and gusts sent embers across the highway sparking smaller spot fires. Officials eventually mapped four separate fires along with some smaller ones.

Woodside and Gerstle Cove campgrounds in Salt Point and the nearby privately operated Ocean Cove campground that sits across from a small general store were quickly emptied out.

Cal Fire Battalion Chief Marshall Turbeville saw the smoke billowing and wind conditions Thursday afternoon and knew a swift and strong response was crucial given the blaze’s start in thick unmanaged forest and proximity to the Timber Cove community and historic sites.

With the ocean to the west, just a few winding routes lead in and out of the area, potentially complicating access. But, “we were very fortunate we were able to mobilize very quickly and get a lot of firefighters there very quickly,” Turbeville said, adding that neighboring jurisdictions have played a crucial role.

He pointed to helicopters pulling water out of the sea to dump over the flames, an uncommon practice. “That’s how important it was,” to act as fast as possible, he added.

Cooler conditions overnight Thursday and nighttime helicopter drops helped firefighters reach 37% containment by late Friday, with the fire held to 152 acres. There were no reports of damaged structures or injuries as of Friday afternoon.

While not a fast-moving fire, the forest, scattered with limbs, leaves and logs among other ignitions, made for “high resistance to control,” Turbeville said.

Bulldozers had trouble in the rough, densely forested terrain, so crews turned to laying hose, some of which burned. Hand lines proved more effective, though that is slow and laborious work.

Firefighters tried to take advantage of Salt Point’s trail network, paved highway sections and damp gullies as they worked inward from the fire’s outer edge. Meanwhile, helicopters dropped seawater in front of hand crews and dozers. Winds dispersed some of the retardant released overhead.

“It’s a type of forest that’s very hard to manage,” filled with bishop and Monterey pines — fire-adapted species that regenerate with new growth and saplings triggered by wildfires, Turbeville said. Coastal winds also limit the opportunities for prescribed burns. “This is just one little part of the coast that has this same vulnerability,” he said.

Highway 1, the region’s main artery, was doused in a neon pink slurry from aerial attacks and largely silent Friday midday but for the sounds of chainsaws and axes as crews worked to maintain fire lines.

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The highway remained closed between Stewarts Point Skaggs Spring Road and Timber Cove Road. A California Highway Patrol spokesperson said Friday afternoon there was no estimated reopening although Cal Fire officials indicated they hoped to open the thoroughfare back up within one to two days and lift evacuation orders by Saturday.

Meanwhile air quality reached hazardous levels further inland and along much of the Highway 101 corridor, leading county officials and air quality regulators to advise people to remain indoors with windows and doors closed. A Spare the Air alert was in effect through Saturday.

Nonemergency workers in Rohnert Park City Hall were sent home because of unhealthy air conditions even inside offices and the poor air quality prompted the closure of the Guerneville and Occidental libraries.

Several outdoor events and children’s camps were canceled or moved indoors, and the weather is likely to dampen weekend plans for those looking to escape the heat along the Russian River and coast just as temperatures were expected to peak.

The fire’s origin and cause is under investigation. Emergency radio traffic indicated the blaze may have originated about 100 feet down from a campsite at Gerstle Cove Campground.

Firefighters Friday focused on keeping the fire west of Highway 1 and holding eastern containment lines while knocking down hot spots and any growth toward a few homes along the coast line, according to Tyree Zander, spokesperson for Cal Fire’s Lake-Sonoma-Napa Unit. As winds picked up Friday afternoon, crews monitored the east side of the highway for any flare ups.

“Our plan is to let the fire burn to the coast line,” Zander said. “One, because it’s very rugged terrain with jagged cliffs that people could fall off of, and two because once it gets to the ocean it has nowhere to go.”

Compared to the flashy, quick-burning grass fires typical in Lake and Colusa counties, for example, the coast’s heavy timber and brush is “going to burn for a while,” Zander said.

Inland areas of the county were expected to top out at close to 100 degrees Saturday and Sunday as a ridge of high pressure strengthens over Northern California, with moderate heat risks expected to continue into next week.

Meteorologists with the National Weather Service said relative humanity across inland areas also was expected to drop though they weren’t expecting the strong winds that along with drier air can typically produce elevated fire conditions.

Turbeville cautioned that “until we get a good fog layer” — not in the forecast until Tuesday — “every afternoon is going to be a possibility that an ember is going to land outside of containment lines.”

“It’s going to be a long haul to fully extinguish it,” he said.

Staff Writer Isabel Beer contributed to this story.

You can reach senior reporter Marisa Endicott at 707-521-5470 or [email protected]. On X @marisaendicott and Facebook @InYourCornerTPD.

You can reach Staff Writer Paulina Pineda at 707-521-5268 or [email protected]. On X (Twitter) @paulinapineda22.

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