A brush fire, dubbed the "Cougar Fire" by Cal Fire, scorched the vicinity of Sonoma Raceway, at around 1:16 p.m on Sunday. Sections of both Lakeview Highway and Highway 37 were briefly closed off from public use, as firefighters rushed to contain the blaze.

According to reporting from Cal Fire's website, 25 firefighters, flanked by 13 fire engines, two helicopters, and two fire dozers, were quickly dispatched to stop the flames before they could spread any farther.

Cal Fire's Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit posted a video on their Twitter account, displaying an additional AC-130H dropping fire retardant on the inferno for what they say is the first time it has ever done so. In a follow-up tweet, they said that the airplane can "carry up to 4,000 gallons of long-term fire retardant and has a cruising speed of 360 mph."

An updated status report from their webpage stated that the fire's forward progress was halted about an hour after it initially started, at 2:20 pm, and that the fire crew eventually swelled to 40 at some point during that time. No further updates were provided, but a live camera feed of the area showed no signs of anything burning as of 5 pm. An official investigation is now underway, according to the website.

This was the 19th fire of 10 acres or greater seen by the North Bay this year, and the seventh in Sonoma County proper.

It's been a relatively busy year for the state's firefighters, but a quiet wildfire season so far in Northern California. An unusually scorching June, combined with the wet winter and spring seasons that preceded it, has ultimately led to a high density of dry vegetation vulnerable to being set ablaze.

Almost one million acres have burned in California this year so far, around three times greater than 2023's total amount, and twice that of 2022's burned acres.

As wildfires grow in both size and frequency, firefighters are advocating with increasing urgency that everyone needs to be mindful of fire risks.

On a publicly accessible website made by Cal Fire seeking to inform citizens of their essential place in wildfire prevention, with guidance on relevant subjects such as campfire safety and proper use of fireworks, there is special emphasis placed on the public's potent casual role in igniting the local environment.

"Nearly every wildfire in California is caused by human activities. This is why fire agencies need your help to prevent them," the page reads.