User:Penitentes/Nuns Fire

The Nuns Fire was a large and destructive wildfire in Northern California's Napa and Sonoma counties in October 2017. The fire formed from the merger of multiple smaller fires during a downslope windstorm on October 8. The Nuns Fire burned 56,556 acres (22,887 hectares), destroyed more than 1,300 structures, and killed three people.

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Nuns Fire Part of the 2017 North Bay wildfires
The Nuns Fire burns near Oakville, California wineries on October 14 (seen from Napa)
Date(s)	October 8 (8-10) – October 31, 2017 (2017-10-31) (24 days)
Location	Napa County & Sonoma County, California
Coordinates	00.00°N -000.000°E / 00.00; -000.000
Statistics
Burned area	56,556 acres (22,887 ha; 88 sq mi; 229 km2)
Impacts
Deaths	3
Structures destroyed	1,355 (172 damaged)
Ignition
Cause	Trees striking powerlines
Map
The eventual footprint of the Nuns Fire
The general location of the Nuns Fire in Northern California

The Nuns Fire was the largest of multiple major wildfires in the North Bay area. [total losses]

The Nuns Fire technically comprised six fires that merged together: the Nuns, Oakmont/Pythian, Norrbom, Adobe, Pressley, and Partrick fires.

https://web.archive.org/web/20180117193901/http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_newsreleases?incident_id=1868

Background

The winter prior to the Nuns and other North Bay area fires delivered substantial rainfall to Northern California, promoting the growth of grasses that later dried and became fuel.^[1]

The primary cause of the wildfire outbreak that included the Nuns Fire was a strong Diablo wind event on October 8–9.^[1]

Favorable conditions for wildfires were forecast by the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center, which alluded to the possibility of critical fire weather conditions stemming from offshore winds and low relative humidity, as early as October 3. The National Weather Service office for San Francisco and Monterey Bay issued a fire weather watch on October 5, which was upgraded to a red flag warning the following day.^[2]

Cause

Cal Fire investigators determined that the Nuns, Adobe, Partrick, and Norrbom fires all separately began when trees struck power lines, and that the Pythian Fire began when Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) attempted to re-energize a downed power line. All the involved power lines involved, except for the Nuns Fire power line, were operated by PG&E.^[3] Cal Fire investigators found that PG&E had violated state code on brush clearance or equipment maintenance in the ignitions of the Norrbom, Partrick, Pythian, and Adobe fires, with which the Nuns Fire eventually merged and superseded in name.^[4]

Progression

The Nuns Fire originated east of Glen Ellen along Nuns Canyon Road—from which it received its name—near California State Route 12.^[5][6] Firefighting resources were dispatched at about 11:11 p.m. PST. Concurrently, a remote automated weather station nearby measured sustained winds of 17 miles per hour (27 km/h) with gusts up to 45 miles per hour (72 km/h).^[7]

The Nuns Fire merged with the Norrbom Fire overnight on October 11–12,^[8] with the Adobe Fire on the morning of October 12, and the Partrick Fire overnight on October 12–13.^[9] On October 16, the main fire—then 51,512 acres (20,846 ha) and 53 percent contained—merged with the Oakmont Fire, which had burned 1,029 acres (416 ha) and was 16 percent contained.^[10]

By October 22, the Nuns Fire was 90 percent contained. Evacuation orders were rescinded for Glen Ellen that same day, allowing residents to survey damage to their properties.^[6] The Nuns Fire was pronounced fully contained on October 31, with the containment of the Tubbs and Pocket fires announced simultaneously.^[11]

Effects

The Nuns Fire led to the deaths of three people. Two of them—residents of Glen Ellen and Bennett Ridge respectively—were caught in the fire itself, and the third fatality was a water tender driver who died in a crash during the firefighting effort.^[11]

The Nuns Fire destroyed 1,355 buildings and damaged an additional 172.^[12] The fire particularly devastated northern and western portions of Glen Ellen. The Press Democrat described it as having "leveled entire blocks". Multiple homes also burned in the western fringes of Kenwood.^[13] Glen Ellen lost 183 homes, and Kenwood lost 140.^[14] As of 2024, the Nuns Fire remains the thirteenth most destructive wildfire in California's recorded history.^[15]

See also

• Glossary of wildfire terms
• List of California wildfires