Fairfield Residents Keeping Watch As Atlas Fire Draws Near

FAIRFIELD (CBS13) — Multiple fires are ripping through Napa and Solano counties. Now the city of Fairfield is watching the wind and preparing for the worst.

"You always see stuff on the news, but you never think that it'll be you," said Fatima Sadat, who lives in the Eastridge neighborhood of Fairfield.

The first set of evacuations in Fairfield was issued to about 70 homes on Wednesday as the Atlas Fire moved closer to the city. Locals stood on their streets, worried that shifting winds could push fire into their community.

"I hope everybody's gonna be safe," said Daria Switala, who lives near Green Valley Lane.

Her neighborhood hasn't been evacuated yet, but she packed up her family on Monday night and headed to stay with family in Danville. On Wednesday night, she made one final stop at home to gather a few belongings just in case the flames somehow reach her doorstep.

"My 1-and-a-half-year-old and my parents are waiting for me to come home," Switala said. "I'm just terrified with everything that's going on, an emotional wreck!"

"I've been here my whole entire life," Sadat said. "I've never seen it this horrible!"

Sadat says she was on her way to work when a colleague texted her saying her neighborhood is in danger.

"A lot of families are saying 'You should pack up everything,' but I just- I don't have that mental capacity to put everything in the car right now," Sadat said.

Fairfield police and fire departments are also watching the wind and brainstorming what to do next.

"The fire is not coming towards the houses right now, so we don't want to evacuate houses and cause panic."

But Sgt. Matt Bloesch says there is a reason for concern and the city doesn't want to get caught unprepared.

"Looking at what happened in Santa Rosa, just seeing the tremendous damage that fire and wind can do, it's scary," he said.

There are teams of officers out around the city, ready to enforce evacuations if the time comes. And firefighters are stationed on the outer edges of the city, monitoring the firelines and watching the wind flow closely.