Firefighters stopped the spread of two wildfires Monday in Northern California’s wine country, lifting evacuation notices as crews gained containment before nightfall.
The larger blaze, the Hardin Fire, burned about 79 acres near Hardin and Pope Canyon roads in Pope Valley, an unincorporated Napa County community northeast of the city of Napa, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The fire was 60% contained Monday night. Its forward progress had been stopped earlier in the afternoon, and no evacuation orders were issued.
The Hardin Fire began at about 2:40 p.m. and initially spread through grass at a moderate rate. Aircraft dropped fire retardant while crews worked to reach the flames from the ground.
About 25 miles southwest, firefighters increased containment on the Ledson Fire to 35% after it burned about 17 acres east of Santa Rosa in neighboring Sonoma County.
Authorities lifted an evacuation warning for the area on Monday evening. The warning had replaced an earlier evacuation order issued as the fire threatened structures near Highway 12 and North Pythian Road.
Firefighters had stopped the Ledson Fire’s forward progress by midafternoon. Four engines and a hand crew were expected to remain overnight to strengthen containment lines and extinguish hot spots, Cal Fire said.
No injuries or structural damage were reported in either fire.
The causes of both fires were under investigation.
The fires broke out before a heat advisory scheduled to take effect Tuesday across the North Bay’s interior mountains and valleys.
The National Weather Service forecast widespread highs in the 90s, with some locations reaching the low 100s. The advisory was scheduled to remain in effect until10 p.m. Tuesday.
Dining and Cooking