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Fire crews continued to get help from cooler summer weather this weekend and stopped forward progress by the wildfire burning in the Sunol Regional Wilderness on Saturday evening, according to Cal Fire.
The Creek Fire stood at 734 acres overall with 25% containment as of Sunday evening, Cal Fire said. Evacuations remain in effect for the public open space and park in Sunol as well as along Welch Creek Road in the area.
“Forward progress stopped. Structure threat and threat to critical infrastructure remains. Road closures and evacuations remain in place,” Cal Fire stated in its update report Sunday morning. “Good progress was made overnight aided by favorable weather conditions. Firefighters continue to actively work to mitigate hazards, and implement and improve containment lines.”
The state agency also reported final containment of the other vegetation blaze in the Tri-Valley. The 389-acre Flynn Fire that ignited on the Altamont Pass in unincorporated Livermore on Thursday reached 100% containment by Sunday evening.
Before the Flynn Fire was put out, both Tri-Valley blazes were among the 15 largest wildfires active in California over the weekend.
The Creek Fire, which sparked Friday afternoon in the Sunol Regional Wilderness, ranked as No. 10 statewide by acreage as of Sunday night. At the top of the list is the 360,141-acre Park Fire raging with 12% containment outside of Chico in Butte County and three other surrounding counties.
Directly below the Creek Fire on the statewide list Sunday evening was the Point Fire in Contra Costa County between Concord and Bay Point (471 acres, 90% contained), according to Cal Fire.
The wildfire in Sunol made an initial jump at a moderate rate of spread after starting for unknown reasons just before 4 p.m. Friday (July 26) southeast of the intersection of Welch Creek and Calaveras roads in Sunol, according to the Alameda County Fire Department.
The Creek Fire grew to 577 acres with zero containment by the final report on Friday night, but as Saturday morning arrived after cool overnight weather, the rate of spread had slowed and the wildfire sat at 595 acres and 5% contained, according to Cal Fire.
As Saturday evening arrived, ACFD shared what Cal Fire would later confirm, that firefighters had stopped the blaze’s forward progress with overall totals at 734 acres and 10% containment.
The acreage held at 734 acres overnight Saturday and containment improved to 15% come Sunday morning and then 25% by Sunday evening, according to Cal Fire. Evacuation orders were still in effect for Welch Creek Road – the zone dubbed ALC-E127.
The incident is now a unified command involving Cal Fire, ACFD and the East Bay Regional Park District Fire Department. Crews are fighting the fire from the ground and the air.
