The Cold Fire was a

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identi ...

that started on August 2, 2016 in the

Vaca Mountains The Vaca Mountains are a mountain range in Napa and Solano Counties, California that is one of the California Coast Ranges. They represent the easternmost of the Inner Coast Ranges in north−central California, and divide the Suisun Valley on ...

, near

Lake Berryessa Lake Berryessa is the largest lake in Napa County, California. This reservoir in the Vaca Mountains was formed following the construction of the Monticello Dam on Putah Creek in the 1950s. Since the early 1960s, this reservoir has provided wate ...

and just west of the city of Winters, in

Yolo County Yolo County (; Wintun: ''Yo-loy''), officially the County of Yolo, is a county located in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 216,403. Its county seat is Woodland. Yolo County is incl ...

, northern California. The fire was contained by 6 PM on August 11 after burning a total of , including two buildings, causing an estimated $100,000 in damage.

Events

The fire was first reported at 4:36 pm on August 2 near Highway 128 west of Pleasants Valley Road. By sundown mandatory evacuations were ordered for Canyon Creek Campground and Golden Bear Estates. The following day, less than 24 hours after the fire was first reported, it had grown to over . A

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and ...

shelter was briefly setup in Winters but was closed due to lack of use. By August 4, the third day, the fire had grown to , with 903 fire personnel members on the ground and the evacuation order for Golden Bear Estates had been lifted. By August 6, the fourth day, the fire had grown to with 1,625 fire personnel members on the ground and Highway 128 was reopened to traffic and Thompson Valley Road at Highway 128 being closed. The fire was contained by 6 PM on August 11. The Cold Fire caused an estimated $100,000 in damages. In total, acres had been burned and two hunting cabins had been destroyed. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

References

2016 California wildfires Wildfires in Yolo County, California Vaca Mountains History of Yolo County, California Winters, California {{wildfire-stub