Woodside Fire closes Highway 1, forces Sonoma evacuations

The Woodside Fire erupted Thursday afternoon along Highway 1 near Timber Cove on the Sonoma Coast, reaching about 100 acres by 5 p.m. Officials closed a stretch of Highway 1 and issued mandatory evacuations for hundreds of coastal residents and park visitors as winds drove the blaze through timber near Salt Point State Park.

Key Takeaways

• The Woodside Fire grew to roughly 100 acres by about 5 p.m. Thursday, July 30, 2026, burning coastal prairie and heavy timber west of Highway 1 near Salt Point State Park.
• Highway 1 was closed between Timber Cove and Stewarts Point-Skaggs Springs Road as crews worked to keep flames from crossing east into forested hills.
• Mandatory evacuations covered zone SON-1D1 (about 350 households), with a warning for SON-1D2 (about 265 households); Salt Point campgrounds and nearby communities were ordered out.
• Cal Fire reported about 85 personnel, two helicopters, and 11 engines on scene, with more resources ordered; the cause remained under investigation.
• Smoke pushed air quality to unhealthy or hazardous levels as far as Guerneville, Sebastopol, and Bodega Bay; officials asked people not to call 911 only to report smoke.

For readers who track coastal travel, property risk, and lifestyle disruptions alongside wealth hacks and passive income coverage, the fast-moving blaze underscored how quickly a Sonoma Coast corridor can shut down.

What happened with the Woodside Fire on Thursday?

According to The Press Democrat, fire crews responded after the blaze broke out Thursday afternoon north of Timber Cove on the Sonoma Coast. By just before 5 p.m., the fire was estimated at about 100 acres.

It was burning through coastal prairie and forest on the west side of Highway 1 near the entrance to Woodside Campground at Salt Point State Park. A state parks official confirmed that Woodside and Gerstle Cove campgrounds inside the park had been evacuated.

The San Francisco Chronicle, citing Cal Fire, said resources responded around 3 p.m. near the 24000 block of Highway 1 in Timber Cove, north of Jenner and south of Salt Point State Park. The fire was burning in heavy timber that included redwood trees.

CBS News initially reported the Woodside Fire at approximately 50 acres earlier in the response, while later local accounts put the size near 100 acres as of 5 p.m. Officials said the cause had not been determined and containment figures were not immediately available.

Who was ordered to evacuate and why does it matter?

Just before 4 p.m., the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office issued an evacuation order for zone SON-1D1 between Fort Ross and the northern end of Salt Point State Road near the coast, including Walsh Landing, Seaview, and Stump Beach. That zone covers about 350 households.

An evacuation warning went out for zone SON-1D2 farther inland, including Table Mountain, Toners Place, and Goat Rock, covering about 265 households. Cal Fire maps described the mandatory zone as stretching between the coast and the South Fork Gualala River, from Kruse Ranch and Hauser Bridge roads south to Fort Ross Road.

By about 4:30 p.m., Cal Fire said Salt Point State Park, Steelwater Cove Regional Park, the Timber Cove subdivision, and Ocean Cove, a private campground, were also ordered to evacuate. Officials said the fire posed an immediate threat to life in the mandatory zone and urged people to leave immediately.

The Sheriff's Office said first responders might go door-to-door and asked residents with time to check on neighbors. People needing help with pets or small animals were directed to the Sonoma Community Animal Response Team at 707-861-0699; livestock help was listed through NorCal Livestock Evac at 707-234-7193.

CBS News reported that no structures were currently threatened at the time of its update, but the scale of orders still mattered for rural households, campers, and visitors relying on a single coastal highway for access.

Is Highway 1 closed, and how is the fire behaving?

Yes. The California Highway Patrol confirmed a Highway 1 closure through the burn area. The Chronicle and CBS News said the shutdown ran between Timber Cove (or Timber Cove Road) and Stewarts Point-Skaggs Springs Road. The corridor is lightly populated, but Highway 1 is the main traffic route.

WatchDuty reporting cited by The Press Democrat said the fire had an active front north of Ocean Cove and was moving south through heavy timber, driven by winds out of the north. Crews tried to keep the fire from crossing Highway 1 into heavily forested hills to the east.

Cal Fire said the blaze was wind-driven, with gusts up to 35 mph and temperatures in the low 60s. Air and ground resources were working to contain it. Several airtankers and helicopters joined the fight alongside ground crews. Cal Fire listed 85 personnel, two helicopters, and 11 engines on scene, with additional resources and multiple engine strike teams requested.

Heavy smoke was visible across the county. The Sheriff's Office warned residents not to call 911 solely to report smoke in river and coastal areas because reports were overloading the system. Air quality reached unhealthy to hazardous levels in surrounding areas, including as far east as Guerneville and Sebastopol, with smoke drifting up the Russian River valley and south to Bodega Bay.

Local outlets described the story as developing and asked readers to check back for updates as containment, acreage, and evacuation boundaries can change quickly on the coast.

Bottom line: the Woodside Fire became a fast-moving Sonoma Coast emergency on July 30, closing Highway 1, emptying park campgrounds, and putting hundreds of households under evacuation orders or warnings while firefighters raced to hold the line west of the highway.