McCabe Fire Now 90 Percent Contained in Sonoma County

By Bay City News Service

The McCabe Fire, which has burned more than 3,500 acres of vegetation near The Geysers geothermal plant east of Cloverdale in Sonoma County, is 90 percent contained as of Tuesday morning and full containment is now expected Thursday, a Cal Fire captain said Tuesday morning.

The fire started around 2 a.m. Friday when parts of the Bay Area were raked with gusty winds, but the cause is still under investigation.

At one point 1,681 personnel were fighting the blaze, and there are 1,184 still at the scene today, Cal Fire Capt. Scott McLean said.

Full containment was initially expected on Wednesday, but that estimate was changed to Thursday, and firefighters are working to "make sure all the details have been taken care of," McLean said.

Cloverdale-Geysers Road and Healdsburg-Geyser Road, which were closed because of the fire, reopened at 8 a.m. Tuesday. The dozen or so residents who live in the affected area were initially evacuated but returned to their homes Monday.

The blaze initially caused the evacuation of 278 employees at Calpine's geothermal power plant. A cooling tower at the plant was destroyed in the blaze.

Gusty winds, low humidity and steep terrain presented challenges for fire crews. Six firefighters suffered minor injuries including leg cramps, a sprained ankle and flu-like symptoms, McLean said.

As crews leave the fire scene, firefighting vehicles will be traveling on the roadways, and Cal Fire is advising motorists to drive carefully.

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