Geyser Fire on January 22, 2022. Photo from AlertWildFire.org
A fire started at Geyser Peak early Saturday morning, and grew to about 5 acres before fire crews were able to get it contained. Reports say that the fire initially started at about 1:40am pushed by strong winds, and wind gusts up to 90 miles per hour. An additional smaller fire was reported in the 15000 block of Chalk Hill Road at about 7am, but that fire has also been contained. There were no evacuations for either fire.
December rains helped to keep fuel moisture higher, however there is no rain in the immediate forecast.
Power outages are reported in large parts of Sonoma County, including along Chalk Hill Road, in the hills around the Geysers, and along Highway 12 from Glen Ellen to Boyes Hot Springs, as well as to the east of the Town of Sonoma. As of 7:30am, about 6,700 customers were without power.
The National Weather Service issued a High Wind Warning for the North Bay Mountains that will last until 11am on Saturday.
Another wind driven fire near Big Sur in Monterey County, called the Colorado Fire forced evacuations and grew to about 1,500 acres as of 7am Saturday morning. No word on containment of the Colorado Fire.
