Crews Battle Tubbs Fire Threatening Calistoga
CALISTOGA (KPIX) -- The battle to keep the Tubbs Fire out of the town of Calistoga is being waged along Highway 29.
Billowing smoke choked scenic vistas along the road Thursday -- a reminder that the flames are still in charge here.
The fire jumped the highway Thursday afternoon in at least one location and Cal Fire crews were determined to keep it from spreading.
At one location where there was a turnout scarcely wide enough for the water tenders and strike teams to park, Cal Fire crews set backfires to choke off the fuel to stop the Tubbs Fire's advance.
Less than a quarter-mile from that location, people vainly tried to load a horse onto a trailer to get it out of harm's way. Spooked and stubborn the horse refused to budge.
Structure-protection crews set up shop at a home on Highway 29 as the forest glowed orange above.
While wildfires tend to lie down at night, the Tubbs Fire continues to chew through vegetation, mocking the efforts of firefighters and their equipment.