NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – The effort to fully contain a wildland fire burning in The Geysers area of Sonoma County close to the border with Lake County progressed on Monday, as the fire's size didn't grow and containment increased significantly.
The firefighting force on the Sawmill fire more than doubled on Monday, as did the containment on the fire, which began late Sunday morning on Big Geysers Road and Geysers Resort Road, 10 miles east of Cloverdale.
By Monday night, the fire remained at 1,500 acres, with containment at 45 percent, up from 20 percent that morning, according to Cal Fire.
Fire officials said no structures had been damaged or threatened.
There were, however, two minor injuries, Cal Fire said.
Cal Fire said that on Monday the firefighting force grew to include 1,033 personnel, 84 fire engines, 32 hand crews, 15 water tenders, 10 dozers and four helicopters.
Firefighters not only increased the containment line around the fire, but also begun working on pockets of unburned fuel within the fire perimeter, Cal Fire said.
Despite the progress, Cal Fire remained concerned about the area's warm temperatures and possible gusty southwest winds into the night.
The progress made on the fire led to officials lifting all of the mandatory evacuation orders and road closures as of 6 p.m. Monday, Cal Fire said.
The fire had early on threatened Calpine-owned facilities at the Geysers geothermal steamfield, according to reports from the scene.
The Geysers is the world's largest geothermal steamfield. Calpine operates 14 plants there, 10 in Sonoma County, four in Lake County. The Northern California Power Agency also operates plants at the steamfield.
Both Calpine and Northern California Power Agency facilities had been damaged in last year's Valley fire, according to reports from both organizations. This time around, however, no damage was reported.
Danielle Matthews Seperas, Calpine's manager of government and community affairs, said Calpine's first priority is always to keep its employees safe, and so on Sunday it ordered the evacuation of its Aidlin plant.
Aidlin is located in the area of Cloverdale Geysers Road and West Squaw Creek Road, one of the areas radio reports had indicated was being evacuated on Sunday afternoon.
On Monday, Calpine allowed its staff to return to the Aidlin plant, which returned to operational status, Matthews Seperas said.
“Our remaining plants at The Geysers continue to operate normally and our team is constantly assessing the situation and will take all steps necessary to ensure the safety of employees and the preservation of our facilities. We can also confirm that all of our employees remain safe and accounted for,” Matthews Seperas said.
Cal Fire said the Sawmill fire's cause remains under investigation.
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Firefighters make big containment gains on Sawmill fire; Calpine facilities fully operational
- Elizabeth Larson
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