Woodward, Point Reyes

Woodward, Point Reyes National Seashore, NPS. Three miles southwest of Olema, CA. Timber, brush and chaparral. Moderate fire behavior with backing, creeping and smoldering. Structures threatened. Area, road and trail closures in effect.

September 26, 2020 at 12:13 PM

The fire still has substantial heat and interior smokes that are visible from the surrounding communities. The fire is not expected to present significant control problems but if the fire reestablishes beyond containment lines, it would negatively affect private and public infrastructure, lead to evacuations of large swaths of residential areas, endangered species habitat, watersheds which provide salmon habitat, high value agricultural operations, communication sites of local and national importance, tourism opportunities, and associated economic impacts and job losses.

September 19, 2020 at 8:44 PM

There is still intermittent heat along the perimeter and isolated heat within the interior of the fire. The fire continues to smolder in heavy, dense fuels.

With a warming and drying trend as mentioned in the weather forecast, fire activity has increased slightly over the next few days. The fire is not expected to present significant control problems but if the fire reestablishes beyond containment lines, it would negatively affect private and public infrastructure, lead to evacuations of large swaths of residential areas, endangered species habitat, watersheds which provide salmon habitat, high value agricultural operations, communication sites of local and national importance, tourism opportunities, and associated economic impacts and job losses.

September 6, 2020 at 11:22 AM

The Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 2 briefed the new Type 3 team from the Great Basin area yesterday, and the new team is shadowing NRIMT 2 today. Starting tomorrow, they will take command of the incident, and work with the National Park Service and local county resources to complete containment of the fire and keep the public informed. This is the last Daily Update from NRIMT 2.

Evacuations: The previous evacuation order has been lifted and reduced to a warning. All other evacuation warnings are still in effect. For the most up-todate evacuation information, visit https://bit.ly/2QqxVm4. An interactive map of the area is also available that shows current fire extent and evacuation status at https://bit.ly/2Ex41Ko.

Critical Fire Weather expected today. The marine layer will be very shallow or erode completely. Maximum relative humidity is expected to be 70-90 percent in the morning along the coast, with ridges as low as 15 percent. Daytime highs will be 68-78 coast and 85-100 inland. Winds will generally be northwest 7-12 mph, with gusts up to 22 mph. A light sea breeze will also be possible through the day near the coast. The winds, heat, and lack of marine layer will test our containment, which is helpful.

Point Reyes National Seashore remains closed to the public until further notice. This includes all beaches within the National Seashore and applies to the Labor Day weekend. Coastal roadways are restricted to local traffic to provide for the safety of firefighting resources and the public.

August 31, 2020 at 6:41 AM

Projected Incident Activity

Primary fire spread is north towards communities of Olema, Silver Hills, and Point Reyes Station. Possible fire spread north beyond the community of Point Reyes Station towards the communities of Inverness and Inverness Park.

Planned Actions

Continue tactical firing operations in divisions E, T, and W, using UAS-, PSD, and hand ignition. Continue to implement direct and indirect line construction, as well as holding operations, on the north, east and west sides of the fire. Continue mop up on the southeast and northwest sides of the fire. Complete contingency dozer line east of Bear Valley trail. Assess properties for fuels mitigation opportunities around the areas of Inverness, Inverness Park, Point Reyes Station and Olema. Implement fuels mitigation when resources become available.

Monday’s Forecast: The marine layer may become compressed a little more. Maximum relative humidity is expected to be 90-100 percent in the morning. Daytime highs will be in the 62-72 degree range. Generally south winds 3-8 mph with gusts to 15 mph. Minimum relative humidity will be 58-70 percent. Higher range values near the coast with lower values in Bear and Olema Valley.

Outlook – Tuesday and Wednesday: With a strong ridge of high pressure building into the region, expect a more compressed and shallow marine layer. This will lead to stratus and fog burning off by late morning compared to early afternoon. Temperatures will be warmer and RH drier. Winds will transition into a more northwesterly flow regime with gusty winds at times for the ridges and aligned canyons.

August 27, 2020 at 6:28 AM

The fire continues to burn south of Limantour Road, north of Bear Valley Trail, and west of Shoreline Highway (State Route 1). The area is steep with limited access on foot, causing challenges for firefighters. Air resources began operations on August 20 and a federal type 1 National Incident Management Team (NR Team 2) assumed command of the fire on August 23. Resources have identified strategic geographic ridges to hold the fire and Fireline personnel are continuing to construct direct and indirect control lines.

Additional ground resources continue to arrive.

August 25, 2020 at 9:28 PM

The fire continues to burn south of Limantour Road, north of Bear Valley Trail, and west of Shoreline Highway (State Route 1). The area is steep with limited access on foot, causing challenges for firefighters. Air resources began operations on August 20 and a federal type 1 National Incident Management Team (NR Team 2) assumed command of the fire on August 23. Resources have identified strategic geographic ridges to hold the fire and Fireline personnel are continuing to construct direct and indirect control lines.

The Northern Rockies National Incident Management Team has begun relocating its Incident Command Post to the San Geronimo Golf Course outside San Rafael. Moving to a new location became necessary because the team outgrew the current location at the Point Reyes National Seashore Visitor Center as more wildland fire resources arrive onsite. The larger space will also help firefighters and support staff follow the social distancing guidelines amid the current COVID-19 pandemic. We graciously thank the National Park Service for allowing us to use of their buildings and facilities prior to the move.

Full fire suppression operations continue today using direct and indirect tactics to slow fire growth and help protect neighboring communities and residents. So far 236 personnel have been brought in to fight the Woodward Fire, consisting of seven crews, plus 19 engines, five helicopters and two water-scooping planes. Combined smoke from the Woodward Fire and numerous regional fires are continuing to impact the San Francisco Bay area. Expect dense smoke to be in the forecast for the near future. Instances of billowing smoke may arise as pockets of dense, dry fuels within the Woodward Fire boundary catch fire. Southwest winds should help keep the smoke impacts slightly less in the coastal areas.

Closures: Point Reyes National Seashore is closed to the public until further notice.

August 24, 2020 at 8:59 PM

The Woodward Fire, located in the Point Reyes National Seashore, started August 18th, 2020 around 2:27pm just south of the Woodward Trail, west of the Bear Valley Visitor Center in Olema, California and about one mile inland from Limantour Beach.  The cause of the fire was determined to be lightning.  Firefighters from the National Park Service and Marin County Fire began suppression efforts.  The fire has burned 2780 acres of dense vegetation as of August 22nd and is 5% contained.  Smoke from the fire continues to impact Marin and San Francisco counties and has contributed to air quality alerts in these areas.

The fire continues to burn south of Limantour Road, north of Bear Valley Trail, and west of Shoreline Highway (State Route 1).  The area is steep with limited access on foot, causing challenges for firefighters.  Air resources began operations on August 20 and a federal type 1 National Incident Management Team (NR Team 2) assumed command of the fire on August 23.  Resources have identified strategic geographic ridges to hold the fire and Fireline personnel are continuing to construct direct and indirect control lines.  Additional ground resources continue to arrive.

An evacuation warning continues to be in effect for residents living and visiting west of Shoreline Highway (State Route 1) between Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in Olema south to Bolinas, a stretch of about 11.5 miles. The warning area is sparsely populated. The County of Marin has prepared contingency plans to open a shelter if evacuation orders become necessary.

The National Park Service has closed the Point Reyes National Seashore to visitors and traffic in the area is limited to local residents only to allow easier access for firefighters.