Wragg Wildfire - Yolo and Solano Counties

During July, I covered the Wragg wildfire which raged a week long, south of Lake Beryessa along highway 128, west of Winters. I grew up boating and hiking with my family on the lake and around the Beryessa area, so this fire had a rather personal ring to it for me, though that may be the subject of another piece some other time. While I'm saving the majority of my work for a larger piece on the California Drought, I wanted to share a few of the more remarkable images.

At nearly 7,000 acres burned, I thought it would end up being one of the larger wildfires in the region this summer, but not days after the Wragg fire was put out, the Rocky fire started north of Beryessa in Lake county, burning 70,000 acres. Immediately following that,  the Jerusalem fire caught--now at 25,000+ acres burned as of writing this--and has merged with the area burned by the Rocky fire. Nearly 100,000 acres burned in Lake County, California alone.

Day 1 - Wednesday, July 22  |  Davis & Winters

Facing West on the northerly outskirts of Davis, CA.

A Firehawk helicopter flies in from the west to refuel at the Yolo County Airport.

The Winters water tower off highway 128, hazy through smoke from the Wragg fire.

Smoke obscures Russell Blvd, just east of Winters, CA.

CHP officers set up a roadblock on Highway 128, west of Winters, CA.

Fire flares in the nearby canyon as the sun sets; just west of Winters, CA.

Day 2 - Thursday, July 23  |  Vacaville

CalFire trucks drive north on Pleasants Valley Road, the northwest portion of which has been blocked to general traffic. Smoke from the Wragg fire can be seen billowing from the Vacaville hills in the distance.

A helicopter flies over the Vacaville hills pouring water over a portion of the Wragg fire, northwest of the city.

A CalFire truck and crew, parked in a field along Pleasants Valley Road northwest of Vacaville, lean in to listen to the radio. Smoke from the Wragg fire rises in the distance.

Day 4 - Sunday, July 26  |  Highway 128

CalFire crews oversee damage assessment along highway 128, west of Winters.

A hill burned by the Wragg fire sits at left, an unburned hill at right.

Dry grass burned by the Wragg fire off highway 128, leaving sparse vegetation and ash.

A burned and ash-laden shoreline along Putah Creek, a partially burned tree white with ash.

Vines along Putah Creek, dry and charred due to the fire, still hang from a tree.