Firefighters worried about hot, dry conditions increasing fire risk in Bay Area this week

By Cornell Barnard

Click here for updates on this story

    ST. HELENA, California (KGO) — Bay Area firefighters are watching an approaching heat which they believe can only increase fire danger by drying out grasses and brush. Fire crews have already been busy responding to wildfires and Monday was no exception.

CAL FIRE choppers, armed with water mounted an air assault on a wildfire off Silverado Trail in St. Helena which started about 5:30 p.m. prompting evacuations.

“I was sleeping and some guy came and knocked on my door and told me there was a fire,” said neighbor Christian Torres.

Torres and his family left their home as a precaution. it’s not the first time.

“I remember last year, a few years ago it’s hard to see this again, we have our family here,” said Torres.

Fire crews were able to stop the fire before it reached the top of the hill where a home was threatened.

“The structure was not damaged, crews made a strong effort to protect it and get containment and keep this fire at five acres,” said CAL FIRE Battalion Chief JC Greenberg.

In the East Bay, SKY7 was over a fire in Dublin. Alameda and Contra Costa County firefighters contained the fire near Highland and Collier Canyon Roads to 91 acres.

Firefighters say hot, dry temperatures in the forecast this week are expected to increase fire danger.

“Things are dry and are burning, we’ve had several fires over the last week, north winds are coming, we are prepared we have recourses ready,” Greenberg added.

CAL FIRE started training its seasonal firefighters more than a month early this year, due to worsening drought conditions.

Evacuation orders on the St. Helena fire were lifted Monday evening, a cause of this fire is under investigation.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.