The Glass Fire grew at least fourfold overnight as it merged with two other fires that it may have sparked — the Shady Fire and the Boysen Fire — and gusty offshore winds continue to help it grow to the south and west.
The news about what's now all being called the Glass Fire continues to be scary and depressing as it moves into territory that burned in the 2017 Tubbs and Nuns fires. There were scenes of frantic evacuations out of eastern Santa Rosa Sunday night and early Monday morning, including one involving hundreds of elderly people — some in wheel chairs or with walkers — out of the Oakmont senior community along Highway 12.
The Glass Fire began around 4 a.m. Sunday in an area east of Highway 29 and north of St. Helena. Evacuations proceeded throughout the day in Napa County, and evacuation orders for areas of Sonoma County did not arrive until evening on Sunday as the two spot fires south and west of the Glass Fire began growing rapidly and tearing over the ridge between the counties. The combined fires have burned 11,000 acres as of Monday morning.
As ABC 7 reports, homes and wineries appeared to be damaged in the Deer Park area of Napa County, and an uncertain number of homes were destroyed overnight in Santa Rosa, in particular around Oakmont and Skyhawk areas.
The Chronicle spoke with Sonoma County Supervisor Susan Gorin, who lost her home in Oakmont in the 2017 Nuns Fire, and she's still in the process of reconstructing it. She isn't sure if it will survive and says, "It’s like God has no sympathy, no empathy for Sonoma County."
Evacuation orders as of Monday extended to the eastern edge of Coffey Park, the neighborhood that was decimated in the Tubbs Fire three years ago, and south to Glen Ellen, where the Nuns Fire began. The full list of evacuation orders with links is here.
Parts of St. Helena and Calistoga remain under evacuation orders and warnings as well, as the Napa Valley Register reports.
Around 6,000 homes and structures remain under threat, according to Cal Fire.
Some wineries and wine country businesses are already reported to have sustained damage, including Chateau Boswell and The Black Rock Inn in St. Helena, per the Associated Press.
A Red Flag Warning, with expected high wind gusts at higher elevations, remains in effect until 9 p.m. Monday.