A Red Flag Warning covering Solano County and the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys was issued by the National Weather Service for Sunday and Monday.
The Weather Service cited high wind speeds and low humidity in calling for attention to increased fire risk in a large swath of the central/northern part of the state, from Stanislaus County to Shasta County, including the cities of Stockton, Vallejo, and Fairfield.
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WATCH HERENortherly winds are forecast with speeds between 15-25 mph and gusts of up to 35 mph, from 8 a.m. Sunday to 8 p.m. Monday. The strongest winds are forecast west of Interstate Highway 5 in the northern/central Sacramento Valley, according to the National Weather Service.
Relative humidity is forecast to be between 15% and 25% during the day and between 30% and 55% overnight.
The Weather Service recommended suspending outdoor waste burning, taking extra fire safety precautions, and having an emergency plan ready in case of a fire.
In Fairfield, fire crews were at the ready on Sunday, and the city closed several parks and open space preserves as a precaution.
"Any small fire could become a big fire, especially with the winds and the low humidity that we’re experiencing," noted Nick Eisan, Battalion Chief for the Fairfield Fire Department.
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"For me, as a battalion chief, I hear [of] a small fire, I’ll add a second unit to that more quickly than I would on a non-red flag day," Eisan continued.
"I personally think it's going to be a long fire season," he continued. "You just look around the hills, and two weeks ago all this was green, and now look at it, it's all brown."
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SIGN UP While Contra Costa County, just to the south of Solano County, was not included in the Red Flag warning, fire crews there said the windy conditions made fighting fires more challenging.
Late Sunday afternoon, the Walnut fire sparked in a grassy area near Brentwood. Crews attacked the flames from the air and from the ground, quickly containing the fire at 51 acres.
In Concord, the Contra Costa Fire Protection District fought another fire Sunday evening in a residential area on Crestwood Circle.
Fire Captain and Safety Officer Matt DePolo with Contra Costa Fire said the fire in Concord appeared to have started in the garage of the home, though they have not determined the exact cause yet.
DePolo said with the gusty winds, the fire quickly leapt to the home next door, then to another home across the street, and then to a palm tree further away. Crews were able to get the fire under control in about an hour.
DePolo said that when firefighters were going through one of the impacted homes, they found a dog inside that they were able to resuscitate. No people were injured in this fire, he said.
Two homes were left uninhabitable by this fire, and the Red Cross was on site offering aid to the impacted families.
Fire officials around the area are urging the public to be prepared in the event they are asked to evacuate, and to have a "go bag" at the ready.
