Winters Fire Near Lake Berryessa Grows; Mandatory Evacuations In Effect
WINTERS, Yolo County (CBS SF) -- Firefighters in Yolo County were facing 100-degree temperatures Friday as they battled a wildfire east of Lake Berryessa that has surged in size since the previous day.
The Winters Fire is burning in the area where Napa, Solano and Yolo counties meet, along state Highway 128 between the Putah Creek State Wildlife Area and the town of Winters in Yolo County.
The fire has grown from a 250-acre fire Thursday to more than 1,800 acres - nearly three square miles - as of Friday morning, according to Cal Fire.
There were mandatory evacuations in place for rural homes in Golden Bear Estates, while evacuations were lifted for other rural homes in Los Positos Estates.
Cal Fire said firefighters "will have a challenging day on the fire line" as temperatures were expected to be in the 100s by the afternoon, with low humidity and wind gusts.
The terrain in the area is steep, grassy oak woodland, with difficult access. Highway 128 was closed in an area between Lake Berryessa and Winters.
As of Friday morning, the fire was 25 percent contained.
The fire was one of several burning around the state, the largest being in the Sequoia National Forest in the southern Sierra Nevada, about 17 miles north of Kernville in Kern County.
The Schaeffer Fire has burned more that 11,000 acres since it was ignited by lightning on June 24 and was only 10 percent contained as of Friday morning, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Carlos E. Castañeda is Senior Editor, News & Social Media for CBS San Francisco and a San Francisco native. You can follow him on Twitter or send him an email.
