Wildland blaze near Lake Berryessa kept to 4,700 acres Thursday

Firefighters kept the Cold Fire, burning west of the Yolo County town of Winters, to 4,700 acres throughout the day Thursday with containment steady at 15 percent.

“We have a good line around the fire, but there’s still a long way to go,” said California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Scott McLean. The big task now is extinguishing the fire’s interior, he said.

In an online post Thursday, Cal Fire said full containment is expected by Tuesday.

The fire is not heading toward any structures, McLean said, but he urged continued caution.

“The locals need to keep their eyes open and those who don’t need to be in the area, please keep out,” he said. “More resources are still coming in.”

More than 900 personnel were assigned to the Cold Fire on Thursday, Cal Fire said on Twitter. Equipment devoted to the job included 95 engines, 19 bulldozers and 14 water tenders along with support from more than a dozen air tankers and helicopters.

The Cold Fire began at 4:36 p.m. Tuesday about 7 miles west of Winters and exploded to 4,000 acres by Wednesday morning. It prompted the evacuation of a campground and several dozen homes near Lake Berryessa.

The cause is under investigation.

An 8-mile stretch of Highway 128 remained closed Thursday, from Markley Cove Resort on Lake Berryessa to Pleasants Valley Road outside Winters. Evacuations remained in effect for Canyon Creek Resort along Highway 128. The evacuation order for Golden Bear Estates, a residential area off County Road 34, was lifted Thursday morning.

“Containment has been improved along the southeast side of the fire resulting in repopulation of the Golden Bear Estates,” Cal Fire said on its online Cold Fire information page.

No injuries or structural damage have been reported, McLean said.

Cold Fire perimeter

 

This story was originally published August 4, 2016 at 6:32 AM.