Air and ground crews were set to work through the night battling a wildfire that broke out Thursday on the Sonoma Coast amid afternoon winds, forcing hundreds of residents in Timber Cove and surrounding areas, plus guests in several campgrounds, to evacuate as heavy smoke blanketed a wide swath of the North Bay.
Highway 1, the region’s main artery, was closed between Stewarts Point and Timber Cove and would remain so overnight, Cal Fire confirmed.
The Woodside Fire was last mapped at about 75 acres around 5:30 pm., having raced through thick forest on the west side of Highway 1 within Salt Point State Park. Woodside and Gerstle Cove campgrounds within the park have been evacuated, a state parks official confirmed.
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Konocti Crew Five work on a perilous slope as the Woodside Fire burns to the ocean, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
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California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Konocti Crew Five work on a perilous slope as the Woodside Fire burns to the ocean, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
The nearby, privately operated Ocean Cove Campground also was emptied, according to Cal Fire.
By Thursday evening, portions of the wildfire had jumped Highway 1 south of Ocean Cove Campground, with three smaller spot fires within the overall perimeter that stretched south to Stillwater Cove Regional Park. There were no reports of damaged structures or injuries.
Winds carried heavy smoke over Sonoma and Marin counties, prompting air quality regulators for the region to issue advisories that people stay indoors with windows and doors closed until smoke levels diminish.
The fire was first reported at 1:43 p.m. near the Woodside Campground entrance for Salt Point State Park.
The Woodside Fire burns at Salt Point State Park, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
Winds out of the northwest were blowing at 10-15 mph, pushing the fire southeast, with gusts reaching up to 25 mph, according to the National Weather Service. The same outlook is expected for Friday and into the weekend, said meteorologist Karleisa Rogacheski, just as a three-day heat wave arrives in the area.
By about 4 p.m., the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office issued its first — and as of 8 p.m., lone — evacuation order, for the zone SON-1D1, between Fort Ross and the northern end of Salt Point State Road along the coast, including Timber Cove, Walsh Landing, Seaview and Stump Beach.
An evacuation warning was issued for SON-1D2 farther inland, including Table Mountain, Toners Place and Goat Rock. SON-1D1 includes 350 households and SON-1D2 includes 265, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
After crews sought to keep the fire from crossing Highway 1 for much of the day, efforts Thursday night were set to include both ground and aerial firefighting, with attention on heavily forested areas that could propel extensive growth to the south and east.
The state’s specialized Fire Hawk helicopters, equipped for nighttime firefighting, were expected to join the efforts, which included 320 personnel by sundown. Containment stood at 20%.
The Woodside Fire burns on the Sonoma Coast north of Timber Cove, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
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The Woodside Fire burns on the Sonoma Coast north of Timber Cove, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
Earlier in the day, thick smoke was hampering efforts on the fire, but winds were dying down Thursday night, improving visibility for crews, said Tyree Zander, spokesman for Cal Fire’s Lake-Sonoma-Napa Unit.
Smoke levels to the south, in pockets of western Sonoma County stretching into the Highway 101 corridor, measured in the very unhealthy to hazardous range. Real-time smoke pollution levels are available on the the U.S. EPA’s Fire and Smoke Map.
No other wildfires were reported in the region and the Sheriff’s Office asked residents to not call 911 to report wildfire smoke as those calls were taxing the emergency dispatch system.
Sonoma County announced a temporary evacuation point at Laguna High School, formerly El Molino, at 7050 Covey Rd., Forestville.
Emergency radio traffic at the time indicated the fire may have originated about 100 feet down from a campsite in forest at Gerstle Cove Campground.
The fire’s cause will be investigated, Zander said.
Staff Writer Anna Armstrong contributed to this story.