At 6:22 pm, Monday, Aug. 24, an evacuation order was issued to residents in Silverhills Rd., Fox Drive, and Noren Wy south of Inverness Park. Residents of this area must leave immediately and evacuate down Sir Francis Drake Boulevard towards Point Reyes. Bear Valley Rd, the closest road in proximity to the fire, is now closed, and nonresidents of Inverness are being turned around and sent back home. 

The Woodward Fire, located in the Point Reyes National Seashore, currently threatens over 1,600 structures and has burned through over 2, 500 acres of dense vegetation since it was ignited on Aug. 18. The fire, started by a lightning strike during the recent storm, remains 5% contained due to high winds and challenging terrain for firefighters.

An evacuation warning was enacted on Aug. 18 from the regions of Olema to Bolinas, stretching about 11.5 miles in total. On Aug. 21, at approximately 11:30 am, the evacuation warning expanded to include Olema, Inverness, Inverness Park, and Sea Haven. Three days later, the first evacuation order was placed.

With over 771,000 acres burned by various fires across California, resources are spread thin. Air crafts prioritizing larger neighboring fires such as the LNU Lightning Complex Fire in Napa resulted in a lack of air support until Aug. 20. Now, aircraft aid the 228 firefighters struggling to contain the fire, scooping up water from Tomales Bay to dump on the blaze. 

The Northern Rockies Incident Management Team is now working with the Marin County Fire Department. Their goal is to restrain the fire north of the Bear Valley Trail, south of Limantour Road, and west of Bear Valley Road. Together, they hope to create a defendable line along the meadow trail and finish the line along Bear Valley Trail, according to this morning’s status briefing at 9:30am.

Point Reyes National Seashore is now closed to all visitors until further notice. For those evacuating, an evacuation center is at the Marin Center, near the Civic Center in San Rafael. Meanwhile, residents in the warning areas are advised to be ready to evacuate at any time as heightening winds disarrange attempts to suppress the fire. 

For more updates and information, follow Marin County Fire department on Facebook and Twitter and sign up for Nixle and Alert Marin. 

https://www.marinsheriff.org/services/emergency-services/alert-marin

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