Sand Fire, other new wildfires burning, including two in the Bay Area

June 12: Cal Fire reports Wednesday that though the Sand Fire grew to more than 2,500 acres, crews now have it approximately 80 percent contained, and local agencies lifted evacuation advisories.

A total of 694 personnel are working to quell the blaze, down from more than 1,100 a few days prior.

June 11: Cal Fire reported on Tuesday that the Sand Fire in Yolo County is now 50 percent contained and that evacuation orders are lifted. However, “the area is still under an advisory evacuation,” meaning that residents nearby should be prepared to evacuate if the fire grows and new orders go out.

The fire agency still estimates that the blaze is about 2,200 acres in size at this point. Nobody has yet reported any additional property damage beyond the seven buildings destroyed over the weekend.

A long, hot weekend—replete with red flag warnings in the Bay Area and the larger Northern California region—saw more than half a dozen wildfires erupt, including two in the Bay Area and one particularly large blaze in Yolo County.

As of Monday morning, the Sand Fire in Yolo County grew to 2,200 acres, according to Cal Fire. Fire crews have only achieved 30 percent containment.

This dangerous burn near the town of Guinda started Friday afternoon. It has since destroyed seven non-residential buildings in the area.

According to the most recent Cal Fire report, issued Sunday night, “Evacuations stand and continue for County Road 41,” and fire crews have closed Highway 16 between Highway 20 and County Road 45. The state has about 740 fire personnel assisting in the area.

Six other fires started in Northern California over the weekend, including two in the Bay Area.

Most are relatively small and were swiftly contained, although a few still burn:

• Ink Fire, Napa County: Cal Fire reports this 50-acre North Bay burn near Calistoga about 85 percent contained on Sunday.
• Malech Fire, Santa Clara County: This 210-acre fire near San Jose is still active Monday morning, although fire crews report 85 percent containment.
• Nelson Fire, Solano County: A small grass fire that broke out near the city of Cordelia on Friday afternoon. Fire crews swiftly contained the burn at 24 acres.
• Levee Fire, Yuba County: Residents near Marysville were briefly under evacuation orders for this fire that started Saturday afternoon, but the fire was contained and the orders lifted by late Saturday night.
• Stuhr Fire, Stanislaus County: This 600 acre grass fire near the town of Newman started Friday afternoon and was contained by Saturday.
• West Butte Fire, Sutter County: On Sunday this 900-acre blaze near the town of Pennington was still active. The Sutter County Fire Department previously reported it 60 percent contained.

A red flag warning remains in effect for much of Northern California, including areas around San Jose, Contra Costa County, most of North Bay, and Sacramento.

PG&E suspended power service to over 20,000 people in Yuba County and Butte County—the site of the deadly Camp Fire in 2018—over the weekend as a precautionary measure.

State investigators concluded in May that PG&E power equipment started the Camp Fire, which turned into the most deadly wildfire in California history.