Smoke blanketed the Bay Area Friday, as firefighters continued to battle a wildfire near Salt Point State Park in Sonoma County.
The fire, dubbed the Woodside Fire, was first reported shortly after 1:40 p.m. Thursday. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), the fire is burning along Highway 1 near Timber Cove.
As of Friday night, the fire has burned 152 acres and is 37% contained. The fire is burning through heavy timber, and no structures are currently threatened, officials said.
“We expect to make great progress today. We are going to continue to see smoke, and we hope to open Highway 1 within the next one to two days,” Cal Fire incident commander Marshall Tuberville said in a video posted Friday.
Smoke from the fire drifted to other parts of the Bay Area. As of about 2 p.m., the air quality index in Santa Rosa was at 167, which is in the unhealthy range, according to AirNow.gov. Moderate air quality was reported in other parts of the Bay Area.
According to the National Weather Service, smoke is expected to continue blowing into the North Bay valleys, with the peak transport occurring Friday afternoon and Friday evening.
The Bay Area Air District also has a Spare the Air Alert in the region through Saturday due to smoke. During a Spare the Air Alert, use of all wood-burning devices is prohibited.
Evacuation orders have been issued for Salt Point State Park and Timber Cove, including north of Fort Ross Road, south of Kruse Ranch and Hauser Bridge roads, east of the coastline and west of the Gualala River’s south fork. Mandatory evacuations were also in place for Steelwater Cove Regional Park and the Ocean Cove Private Camp.
An evacuation warning was issued northwest of Cazadero, including north of Fort Ross Road, south and west of Kind Ridge Road, and east of the Gualala River’s south fork.
Additionally, Highway 1 between Timber Cove Road and Stewarts Point-Skaggs Springs Road has been shut down.
The cause of the wildfire is under investigation.
Richard Ramos
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