A trailhead at Lake Sonoma near the containment line.
Updated Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. —
Per an update from CalFire, the Walbridge Fire is now 87% contained.
CalFire officials urge residents to remain vigilant with emergency preparedness
In their last 11 a.m. briefing regarding the LNU Lightning Complex Fire, CalFire officials said the Meyers Fire is now 100% contained and repopulation for areas of Sonoma County will continue throughout the week as containment of the Walbridge Fire increases.
The Walbridge Fire is now 85% contained at 54,940 acres and is now surrounded by a full containment line according to CalFire Operational Chief Chris Waters.
“The Meyers Fire is 100% contained. Consider that pretty much out, especially with the marine layer rolling in the last few days,” Waters said at the 11 a.m. update. “The weather has also been a real benefit to the Walbridge Fire. We have a fire line/containment line all the way around the fire and we continue to do mop up and patrol and fire line suppression and repair.”
He said residents will start to repopulate the fire area throughout the day today and throughout this week.
CalFire Incident Commander Chief Sean Kavanaugh said even though repopulation has begun and smoke has decreased, there is still a lot of work to be done in the area.
“There is still a tremendous amount of work that has to be done on the entire complex. Just because there is no smoke in the sky and there’s no evacuation orders going on there is still a lot of work to be done out on the lines and there are recovery issues,” Kavanaugh said.
Kavanaugh said hopefully by the end of the week they can have everyone repopulated in most of the areas of the complex.
Officials also reminded all residents of Sonoma County that we still have a few months left of fire season, and just because one major fire is starting to look good in terms of containment they should not become complacent; now is a good time to be prepared for the next wildfire.
“Fire season is still here and has several months to go so if you weren’t affected by these recent fires please take this as a warning to get prepared for the next one whether it be signing up for your local office of emergency services alerts, whether it be defensible space when weather allows, or whether it be an exit plan. Anything you can do now please don’t wait,” said CalFire LNU Deputy Chief, Mike Parks.
Kavanaugh reiterated Parks’ sentiments and cautioned everyone to be careful out there, especially in the wildland areas. He said the last thing we need is another fire erupting amid forecasted high weekend temperatures.
“This fire that we’ve had here has been devastating and challenging. It’s been especially devastating to all of those who have lost loved ones, to those who have lost their homes, and to those who’ve had properties damaged,” Kavanaugh said.
While CalFire won’t continue with their 11 a.m. live press briefings, they will continue to post fire updates on their social media platforms, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Note on river parks
Several Russian River-area Sonoma County Regional Parks are still closed due to the wildfire. Current fire-related park closures include:
Guerneville River Park
Sunset Beach
Forestville River Access
Steelhead Beach
According to Sarah Phelps, a marketing specialist with Sonoma County Regional Parks, no Sonoma County parks sustained damage during the fire. The parks that remain closed are in areas still under an evacuation warning or are located near areas undergoing repopulation efforts.
She said heavy smoke in the area is another concern and county parks will continue to monitor the situation.
“We don’t yet have a timeline for when they will reopen, but we are actively monitoring the situation as the firefighters gain more containment, evacuation warnings are downgraded or lifted and air quality improves,” Phelps said.
To monitor park closures and updates, visit:
http://parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/Visit/Covid-19-Parks-Status-List/
