Sonoma Report
Evacuation orders were downgraded to warnings Monday night after firefighters stopped the forward progress of the Ledson Fire near Santa Rosa, where the blaze burned through terrain affected by earlier wildfires.
The fire began Monday afternoon near Highway 12 and North Pythian Road in Sonoma County. NBC Bay Area reported that the fire was estimated at 17 acres, while a later update put the area where crews stopped the spread at 14 acres. The fire was 35% contained as of 11 p.m. Monday.
Multiple fire agencies worked from the ground and air in steep terrain. Helicopters made repeated water drops as crews built and strengthened containment lines around the fire. Fire officials continued monitoring for embers and changes in wind conditions overnight.
Jason Clay, a public information officer with the Cal Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit, said the fire was burning partly within the scars of the 2017 Nuns Fire and 2020 Glass Fire. Those fires together burned more than 120,000 acres and destroyed 2,800 structures, according to NBC Bay Area.
The Ledson Fire initially moved east through light fuels, oak woodland and brush. At one point, the fire was reported at about 10 acres with a moderate rate of spread. Resources assigned to the response included six Cal Fire engines, four dozers, air-attack and tanker aircraft, two Type 1 helicopters and a helitack crew.
Residents left the hillside neighborhood during the evacuation and waited at designated points for permission to check on their homes and animals. All residents and pets evacuated safely. One resident was later reunited with her 12-year-old cat and planned to take the animal to a veterinarian in Petaluma as a precaution.
Some residents returned home Monday night after the orders were downgraded, while others chose to wait another day because of concerns that the fire could flare up again.
