A hillside grassfire on Arnold Drive at Martin Street closed one of the Sonoma Valley’s two primary evacuation routes for less than an hour Saturday afternoon as several engines from Sonoma Valley Fire and Rescue rapidly doused the flames.
Despite the brevity of the fire, smoke billowed up the side of Sonoma Mountain, an ominous reminder of how dry the Valley hillsides currently are and how quickly an even small fire can clog a major evacuation artery.
The fire, which occurred around 2:30 p.m., was originally reported as occurring at the massive firewood yard near Highway 12 on Dunbar Road. But there was no fire at that site, and the hillside blaze on Arnold Drive on the outskirts of the shuttered Sonoma Development Center appeared to cover roughly an acre.
Fire trucks and squad cars from the CHP and the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department blocked passage north and south on Arnold Drive for approximately half an hour, until the flames were contained. There were no reports of property damage, other than a burned fence line, and no injuries.
Photos by David Bolling
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