Escaped control burn sparks Putah Fire, burning hundreds of acres near Winters

All evacuation warnings have been lifted for the Putah Fire near Winters, Cal Fire said Tuesday, a day after the wildfire began as a prescribed burn that escaped its control lines.

The fire, named after nearby Putah Creek, has burned hundreds of acres along Highway 128 west of Winters. Cal Fire said the fire started shortly after 11:30 a.m. Monday, when crews were conducting a prescribed burn in the area and winds increased, pushing flames beyond the established control lines.

Firefighters then shifted into wildfire response and adjusted their on-scene resources to focus on containment, Cal Fire spokesperson Jason Clay said.

Clay said the fire is burning in steep, rugged terrain that has made ground access difficult. Smoke on the eastern side of the fire has also complicated retardant drops for flight crews.

The fire is also putting some power transmission infrastructure at risk, Clay said.

Cal Fire said the flames were moving uphill through light, flashy fuels Monday afternoon. The blaze's size slightly decreased to 860 acres due to better mapping on Wednesday afternoon. It was 75% contained as of Friday. 

Cal Fire said all evacuation warnings had been lifted as of 10 a.m. Tuesday, but some advisories remained in effect for zones YCU-197, YCU-291 and YCU-293.

About 200 firefighters were at the scene, alongside 10 fire engines and multiple air tankers. A pair of night-flying capable helicopters was also requested to continue the operations at night.

Up-to-date information on the fire can be found on Cal Fire's incident page.