Wine Country is contending with another life-threatening blaze — one that’s creating dangerous breathing conditions.
The Sonoma Coast was perfumed with the smell of crackling bonfire Thursday afternoon when a wildfire began burning off Highway One. Dubbed the Woodside Fire, it’s since exploded to over 140 acres; as of Friday morning, only 30% of the blaze is contained, per Cal Fire.
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Skies above communities in Sebastopol and Guerneville — the latter unincorporated metro currently the host of Lazy Bear, one of the country’s largest queer events centered around all things brawly men and body hair — became particularly dark Thursday afternoon and early evening. During that time, Sebastopol recorded the worst air quality in the United States … and, perhaps, the world.
NBC Bay Area shared air quality readings from the Marin and Sonoma zip codes mostly affected by the Woodside Fire that far exceeded even hazardous conditions for some communities; Air Quality Index (AQI) measurements from Guerneville exceeded 300, the dangerous breathing conditions largely because of PM 2.5 particulates, which are the primary fine particles found in wildfire smoke; Sebastopol AQI readings were in excess of 1,000 Thursday evening … meaning the small town of around 8,000 residents were breathing in possibly the most-polluted air recorded anywhere in the world.
Friday morning has seen strong coastal winds disperse some of this smoke, but AQI readings in Sebastopol still sit within hazardous conditions; Guerneville’s air quality has actually worsened, with AQI measurements now topping 600.
Air quality conditions are expected to remain unhealthy along the Sonoma Coast throughout the weekend as firefighters continue battling the fire. But the Woodside Fire’s incredibly novel burn path might prove challenging to snuff out.
Strong, downward coastal winds are currently running in parallel with the fire, creating conditions that have allowed the blaze to jump miles-long coastal coves not once, but twice in the span of 24 hours. Climate scientist Daniel Swain writes on X that if these recent Fire Integrated Real-Time Intelligence System Program (FIRIS) perimeter projections for the blaze are accurate, “this would be one of the stranger [FIRIS] fire footprints and trajectories I’ve seen.”
Evacuation orders for Salt Point State Park, Steelwater Cove Regional Park, Ocean Cove Private Camp, and Timber Cove Subdivision remain in effect as of publishing; air quality conditions are expected to remain unhealthy in areas affected by the Woodside Fire through Friday and potentially into this weekend.
