Update: Evacuation orders lifted for 7-acre Napa brush fire
NAPA -- Evacuation orders for the area near Coombsville Road in Napa County have been lifted after crews managed to contain the seven-acre fire, police in the City of Napa announced Wednesday.
Mandatory evacuations had been ordered around 2:50 p.m. for residents north of Coombsville Road. They are now allowed back into the area.
The blaze was first reported as a vegetation fire near the 1100 block of Coombsville Road by Cal Fire at 2:10 p.m. Forward progress on the fire was halted at about 3:06 p.m., and no structures were harmed.
The fire forced about 30 families to evacuate from their homes. There were also 30 students at Silverado Middle School for a summer program that had to evacuate as well.
As of about 8 p.m., the fire was 80 percent contained, according to Cal Fire.
A cause has not been determined, however, neighbors reported hearing a loud sound before they saw the flames.
"I was in the job at Coombsville and I just heard a bang. It was a firework. Me and my boss saw smoke," said resident Paul Johnson.
"They set off an M-80 or some kind of big firework because I was three, four miles away and I heard it," said Chris Maschauer.
Residents say they've had problems with fireworks in the area during the 4th of July week.
Cal Fire was joined by the Napa Fire Department and several other agencies in battling the fire. Crews were stationed at each home in the path of the fire as it raced up the hill.
The quick response from firefighters and residents taking steps to create defensible space helped to keep the fire from burning down any homes.
"This is the first time that I would say I was a little bit scared. And to get the family loaded in the truck and out," said Ken Spickler, who lives right near the site where the fire started. "As soon as I saw the flames, I jumped on the tractor, grabbed my phone and called 911. I was talking to dispatch and they were here within a couple of minutes."
Spickler says the fire came just about 100 feet from his home.
"When you got the wind and one spark, it can go a little bit too fast," he said.
