Firefighting crews on Wednesday were still working to fully contain a string of brush fires in Chileno Valley that have scorched roughly 340 acres of family ranchland since they broke out over the weekend.
The Chileno fire represents the largest fire in Marin since the 2020 Woodward fire swept through the Point Reyes National Seashore, said Mari Ochoa, the public information officer for the Marin County Fire Department.
Several spot fires were first reported along the road on Sunday afternoon, and residents said the blazes were threatening cattle, burning a tire dump site, and approaching structures. The occupants of one ranch received a temporary evacuation order, but no other warnings were given to nearby homes, and no structures were damaged.
Marin County Fire Captain Tom Nunes said on Tuesday night that the fires were 85 percent contained. Crews are now focused on areas of concern, such as land with trees and shrubs, and are flying drones and checking hotspots to ensure the fires are contained in case winds change.
“As of now, there is a lot of damage on neighboring properties and grazing fields,” Sarah Case, whose family owns impacted ranchland, told the Light. “Luckily, the firefighters were really on it. The fire came extremely close to two homes, but they created a fire break and were using fire helicopters.”
The fire came within 100 feet of Sally and Mike Gale’s historic Victorian home on a family ranch where they have planted some 200 native trees, including bays, oaks, willows, and aspens. Both the house and the couple’s apple and pear orchard were unscathed, thanks to winds blowing in the opposite direction, Ms. Gale told the Light.
Emergency responders came from Marin County Fire, Gold Ridge Fire, Cal Fire’s Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit, Petaluma Fire, California Highway Patrol, Novato Fire, San Rafael Fire, and Tiburon Fire. Three airtankers dropped fire retardant, and one drop saved a significant number of cattle that were scared and pushed up against a fence, Cap. Nunes said. Meanwhile, 19 engines and three water tenders were on the ground, accompanied by two hand crews.
Shelina Moreda, whose father’s dairy farm leases land from Ms. Case’s family, surveyed areas of burned land in a video posted to social media. Enormous plumes of dark smoke billowed above charred ground as small lines of fire burned and flames licked a fence post.
“We were able to locate the cows and they are safe,” Ms. Moreda wrote. “The pasture, fences, and water pipes are a big loss. Thank you to the aircraft pilots, the dozer operators, firefighters, and law enforcement. This very quickly could have been much worse.”
Light onshore winds of 5 to 10 m.p.h. and dry pastures contributed to the spread of the fires. The cause is under investigation by specialists from Cal Fire.