Glass Fire: Returning Evacuees Relieved To See Calistoga Spared From Flames
CALISTOGA (KPIX 5) -- Thousands of people who were forced out by the Glass Fire in Napa County were allowed to return home, after officials lifted evacuation warnings.
With the orders now lifted, many of the folks who started to return home liked what they saw. Calistoga is still here, saved from the Glass Fire which burned all the way down to the Silverado Trail just outside town.
In downtown, Tom Mills was getting ice and some cold drinks for the night after being out of the house for about two weeks.
"It's been pretty crazy! It's been awful smoky. It's been scary," Mills told KPIX 5 .
By the afternoon, the smoke started to clear.
"A blue sky!" exclaimed Birgit Haustd. "Amazing!"
On one bridge, the gratitude for first responders is evident. Signs of all flavors, some fancy, some simple, all heartfelt.
The Munoz family drove into town Wednesday and Johnny Munoz was surprised by what he saw.
"You know, I thought it was going to be a lot more damage inside the city of Calistoga, the little Downtown but, it was all in the hills, the wineries and the houses up in the hills. I guess we're lucky to be safe down here." Munoz said.
Arvind Dutt just moved here two weeks ago from San Diego. It was his first time to be evacuated.
Dutt said, "It was so close, I could not believe how close the fire came, you know, a few hundred or a thousand feet doesn't seem a lot but when you see the fire coming to where you are it's very close."
While this was a close call for Calistoga, the town is trying to get back on its feet.
Some businesses are reopening. This weekend the Calistoga Farmers market plans to open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Tom Mills is grateful. "The winery I work for, the firemen saved it. It is a blessing," he said.