Glass Fire 100% contained after burning 67K acres across North Bay, CAL FIRE says

The latest on fire size, acres burned and containment on the major 2020 Northern California fires

ByAlix Martichoux KGO logo
Glass Fire causes thousands of evacuations in Napa, Sonoma counties
Glass Fire causes thousands of evacuations in Napa, Sonoma countiesRancher saves neighboring homes, newlywed couple loses house, firefighter finds lost kitten. Here's the latest on the Glass Fire burning in the North Bay.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Just as the massive lightning complexes of August were just about contained in the Bay Area, a new wildfire sparked threatening communities in Napa and Sonoma counties -- areas all too familiar with the threat.

The Glass Fire that burned 67,484 acres in the North Bay since the end of Sept. has been fully contained as of Tuesday, Oct. 20, CAL FIRE announced.

The blaze started at 4 a.m. Sunday, Sep. 27 and began spreading at a dangerously high speed, fanned by high winds. Overnight Sunday into Monday morning, the Glass Fire spawned two new fires: the Boysen and Shady fires. According to CAL FIRE, those smaller fires have since merged with the Glass Fire, forming one incident.

MAP: Track wildfires across San Francisco Bay Area, other parts of California with this interactive map

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See the latest on Bay Area fire sizes and containment below:

App users: For a better experience, click here to view the graph in a new window.

How did the Glass Fire start?

An investigation team is looking at the cause of the Glass Fire, as well as the two smaller fires that merged into it. "It's too early to tell exactly how this fire started but under these incredibly dry conditions with these gusty winds, it obviously didn't take much - a simple spark, an open flame - to allow this fire to grow," said Daniel Berlant, assistant deputy director at CAL FIRE, in an interview with ABC7 News on Sep. 28.

Unlike the fires that erupted around the Bay Area in August, dry lightning strikes aren't to blame here, as there were no storms in the area.

Where are evacuations being ordered?

Evacuations were ordered in Napa and Sonoma counties, including Calistoga, parts of Santa Rosa and St. Helena. For the latest on evacuation orders and warnings, check here. At the height of the fire, more than 68,000 residents were evacuated.

What has been damaged or destroyed?

More than 600 homes and 330 commercial structures have been destroyed in Napa and Sonoma counties, according to CAL FIRE. Even more have been damaged. A number of famous wineries and landmarks were also destroyed in the fire. The interactive map below tracks what was damaged and what was spared.

MAP: These wineries, landmarks are confirmed damaged in the Glass Fire

Having trouble viewing the map? Click here to open it in a new window.

Are the LNU, SCU and CZU Lightning Complex fires still burning in the Bay Area?

The LNU Lightning Complex in the North Bay, the SCU Lightning Complex in the East and South Bay and the CZU complex in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties are now all contained. Those fires, which started amid a lightning storm in August, burned a combined 846,000 acres in the greater Bay Area.

This story will be updated as firefighters get blazes under control or new fires break out. Check back for updates.

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