Update 6:21 p.m.: According to Mayor Dominic Foppoli announced in the town council meeting that he has been told that at present there is no anticipated threat to Windsor.
According to a statement from the town of Windsor at 5:45 p.m. on Aug. 10, there is no current, immediate threat to Windsor from the 1500-acre Walbridge Fire, though a warning has been issued for a section that abuts the eastern unincorporated portion of Windsor.
“The town continues to monitor the status of the Wallbridge Fire closely and is in active communications with our fire officials and other county and state agencies,” said the statement. “Currently, there is no immediate threat to Windsor.”
At 3:26 p.m. the town reported that “Air tankers have been engaged in firefighting operations and will continue to fly this afternoon conditions permitting. Currently, there is no immediate threat to Windsor. Residents are advised to stay tuned to local alerts and be prepared as conditions can change rapidly.”
The warning for the section outside Windsor came at 1:16 p.m.
“Evacuation warnings (not orders) have been issued for the area north of Windsor River Road between the western edge of the Town’s Urban Growth Boundary and the Russian River. This is a precautionary warning.”
Mayor Dominic Foppoli announced on his social media that the administrative team for Windsor is keeping an eye on things. “This fire is very different from the Kincade Fire due to the low winds. There is a lot of fuel in the mountains, but it is burning slowly. Any evacuation warning for Windsor would come well in advance. Please stay calm but be prepared. Thank you to our amazing firefighters that are risking their lives right now to protect us,” Foppoli said. “Also, people are asking about evacuation information to share with their friends to the west. The county is operating “temporary evacuation points” instead of shelters due to the need to avoid congregating during COVID-19. You can find these points at https://socoemergency.org/emergency/evacuation-centers/. From those points, people will be placed into hotel rooms.”
In addition, the county is asking locals to help conserve water during the fire.
“As you are probably aware, there are several wildfires burning in Sonoma County. Sonoma Water, a provider of water to many jurisdictions in Sonoma County is urging that you take immediate water conservation steps,” said the statement from the town. “This is an urgent situation: The largest of these wildfires could threaten an important source of water that Sonoma Water gets from the Russian River. The more water we can store for domestic and firefighting purposes, the better prepared we will be as a region during this emergency. For that reason, the town is asking the following steps be taken immediately:
- Turn off all outdoor water for irrigation. (Irrigation accounts for a large portion of water usage in summer)
- Reduce indoor water use as much as possible. (Take fewer and shorter showers, flush toilets only for solids, postpone laundry washing, wait to run the dishwasher until it’s full)
- Postpone washing of vehicles and other outdoor water uses.
- Turn off auto-fill valves to pools, spas, decorative fountains, and ponds, or delay adding water manually.
- Set water softening systems to bypass auto-regeneration cycles for the duration of the emergency.
- Use a bucket to catch and reuse water when washing fruits and vegetables and when waiting for hot water from faucets, showers, and tubs. Use for watering potted or in-ground plants inside or outside your home, or for toilet flushing by pouring into the toilet bowl.
For more information, visit Sonomawater.org/fire.
Other fire-related items:
Wildfire cameras
During the past four fire seasons, ALERTWildfire has helped provide critical information for over 1,000 wildfires. To see up to the minute images from wildfire cameras throughout Sonoma County and the North Bay, visit: www.ALERTwildfire.org/northbay/
Assistance for animals
If you need assistance evacuating your animals, please call the following:
8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. — Animal Services: 707-565-7103
After Hours — Sheriff’s Dispatch: 707-565-2121
Sonoma CART — 707-861-0699
