Atlas Fire

Last updated
Atlas Fire
Part of the 2017 North Bay wildfires
2017 Northern California wildfires.png
Atlas fire and adjacent fires
Date(s)
  • October 8, 2017 (2017-10-08)
  • October 28, 2017 (2017-10-28)
Location Napa County, California
Coordinates 38°23′31″N122°14′37″W / 38.39206°N 122.24367°W / 38.39206; -122.24367
Statistics [1]
Burned area51,057 acres (207 km2)
Impacts
Deaths6 [2]
Structures destroyed781

The Atlas Fire was a 2017 wildfire burning in Napa County, California north of the city of Napa, near Napa Soda Springs. It was one of fourteen large fires simultaneously burning in eight Northern California counties, in what was called the "Northern California firestorm". [3] Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency. [4] [5]

Contents

Landsat 8 OLI bands 753, Napa, Sonoma fires of October 2017 11 November 2017, Napa, Sonoma fires, Landsat 8, bands 753.tif
Landsat 8 OLI bands 753, Napa, Sonoma fires of October 2017

The fire, which started on October 8, had by October 12 burned 51,057 acres (207 km2) of land, and was 77% contained. [6] [7] By October 12, the fire stretched from Lake Berryessa south to Napa, but a firebreak was established across Atlas Peak Road. [7] It was contained on October 28, 2017. At that point in state history, the fire was the 14th most destructive and 15th deadliest. It burned a total of 51,624 acres, destroyed 783 structures, and resulted in 6 deaths. [8]

Progression

The fire began about 10 p.m. October 8 on Atlas Peak Road Atlas Peak. It started south, fed by winds, gusting to 28 miles per hour, and low relative humidity at 12%. [9]

On October 12, winds were forecast to reach 40 mph, but were lighter than expected, slowing the growth of the fire. [7]

Evacuations

Evacuations started at Silverado Resort, [10] and at Vichy Avenue and Hagen Road area, then Montecito Boulevard and Monte Vista Avenue. [11]

After the evacuation center at Crosswalk Church quickly reached maximum capacity, one was opened at Napa Valley College and St. Apollinaris Catholic Church. There are other evacuations centers such as:

The evacuations for Solano County are Upper and Lower Green Valley, Eastridge, and the community of twin sisters along Suisun Valley road. The advisory is for the Lakes, and The Shopping Centers for Cordelia. [14] In Sonoma, there were mandatory evacuation orders first at Seventh Street East, Castle Road, and Lovall Valley Road; then at East Napa Street. [15] An evacuation advisory was issued for parts of the city of Napa. [16]

See also

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References

  1. "Atlas Fire". CALFIRE . Archived from the original on 2017-10-09. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  2. "Remembering the victims of the 2017 North Bay fires". The Press Democrat . 27 December 2017. Archived from the original on 2023-02-11. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  3. "At least 23 dead, 2,000 structures lost in Northern California firestorm, among worst in state's history". Los Angeles Times. 2017-10-09. ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved 2017-10-10.
  4. "At least 10 dead, 1,500 structures lost in Northern California firestorm, among worst in state's history". 9 October 2017 via LA Times.
  5. Hui, Mary; Lac, J. Freedom du (2017-10-12). "'Armageddon': Apocalyptic images show the devastation caused by deadly wine-country fires". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2017-10-12.
  6. "North Bay Fire Updates: Tubbs Fire 10% Contained, Atlas Fire 3% Contained". Eater SF. Retrieved 2017-10-12.
  7. 1 2 3 "Overnight winds were milder than expected, keeping Atlas fire's growth to a minimum". Los Angeles Times. October 12, 2017.
  8. "2017 Atlas Fire Map". ArcGIS Online. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  9. "At least 10 killed by fast-moving California wildfires, fire officials say". CBS News . 10 October 2017.
  10. Strege, John. "Fire forces evacuation of Silverado Resort hours after Safeway Open ended - Golf Digest". Golf Digest. Retrieved 2017-10-09.
  11. 1 2 Yune, Howard (9 October 2017). "Wind-blown fires in Napa and Calistoga prompt major night evacuations, school closures". Napa Valley Register . Lee Enterprises.
  12. "Sonoma Raceway opening campground to evacuees seeking temporary refuge" . Retrieved 2017-10-12.
  13. Keller, Matt (2017-10-12). "Atlas Fire flaring up in Napa County". ABC7 San Francisco. Archived from the original on 2017-10-13. Retrieved 2017-10-12.
  14. "Encroaching Atlas Fire Spurs Evacuations For Parts Of Fairfield". 11 October 2017.
  15. "Live updates: Fire death toll at 29 in Northern California fires".
  16. KCRA Staff (2017-10-12). "New evacuations ordered as Napa County wildfires grow". KCRA. Retrieved 2017-10-12.