The Woodside Fire on the Sonoma Coast destroyed four structures and damaged three more, Cal Fire confirmed Sunday, August 2, after completing a damage inspection of 22 properties. Two single-family homes and two utility structures were destroyed; two additional homes and one miscellaneous structure were damaged.
No injuries have been reported. The cause remains under investigation, according to Cal Fire.
The Woodside Fire broke out at approximately 1:45 p.m. Thursday, July 30, near the Woodside Campgrounds entrance at Salt Point State Park, about 90 miles north of Burlingame. Northwest winds of 10 to 15 mph, gusting to 25, drove smoke southeast toward the Bay Area, prompting the Bay Area Air District to issue a Spare the Air Alert that covered San Mateo County through Saturday, August 1.
The alert was lifted Saturday morning as air quality improved significantly.
San Mateo County, including Burlingame and Hillsborough, was explicitly named by the Air District as an area expected to be impacted, according to the Redwood City Pulse. The district advised residents unusually sensitive to poor air quality to limit outdoor exertion during the alert period.
What residents need to know
During the Spare the Air Alert, it was illegal for Bay Area residents and businesses to use fireplaces, wood stoves, pellet stoves, outdoor fire pits, or any other wood-burning devices. With the alert now lifted, those restrictions no longer apply.
The Air District directed residents to check real-time local air quality on the U.S. EPA's Fire and Smoke Map at fire.airnow.gov.
The fire itself
The blaze raced through thick forest on the west side of Highway 1, forcing evacuations of roughly 350 households in Timber Cove and surrounding areas on Thursday. Salt Point State Park was at full summer capacity when the evacuation order came, with campers forced to flee quickly, leaving behind RVs, tents, and belongings.
By Friday night, July 31, containment had reached 37% and all evacuation orders were lifted, according to SFGate. Containment climbed to 40% by Saturday morning and 50% by Sunday morning, with the fire mapped at 152 acres.
Highway 1 reopened by 6 p.m. Saturday, August 1, though officials advised travelers to proceed with caution as firefighters continued containment work.
"The biggest challenge is that the fire is burning within ravines of coastal bluffs that are so rugged they are nearly impossible to access," Cal Fire spokesperson Tyree Zander told the Press Democrat on Friday, July 31.
A shallow temperature inversion trapped smoke within the first 1,000 to 1,500 feet of the surface, concentrating pollution at ground level. In Sonoma County communities like Forestville and Sebastopol, fine-particle readings ranged from the 600s to over 1,000, well above the 300 threshold for hazardous, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Readings in San Mateo County were lower but still elevated enough to trigger the sensitive-groups advisory.
What's next
About 135 personnel remained on scene Sunday, August 2, working mop-up operations. Cal Fire spokesperson Jason Clay said fire behavior appeared minimal Sunday, with crews mostly observing smoldering. Three specialized tree-felling teams were deployed to remove fire-damaged hazard trees.
Mop-up crews are expected to remain on site for several more days. Residents can monitor conditions at fire.airnow.gov and sign up for air quality alerts at sparetheair.org.
