Blaze in Solano County sends clouds of smoke south on busy day of fires

Fire fighters battle a wild land fire with wind gust blowing upwards of 50 mph, kicking up debris and burning over 4000 acres on ranch and preserve land near the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area, Sunday 07 October 2018 in Solano County, CA. less Fire fighters battle a wild land fire with wind gust blowing upwards of 50 mph, kicking up debris and burning over 4000 acres on ranch and preserve land near the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area, Sunday 07 October ... more Photo: Peter DaSilva / Peter DaSilva Photo: Peter DaSilva / Peter DaSilva Image 1 of / 68 Caption Close Blaze in Solano County sends clouds of smoke south on busy day of fires 1 / 68 Back to Gallery

Firefighters scrambled to put out several fires Sunday, including a fast-spreading grass fire in Solano County, as high winds spread smoke around the Bay Area, where residents were already on high alert.

The biggest blaze, called the Branscombe Fire, broke out Sunday morning at Travis Air Force Base in Solano County and quickly raced south, blackening more than 4,000 acres by nightfall.

It jumped Highway 12, which was briefly closed in both directions Sunday, and was moving toward Grizzly Island, a state wildlife area.

One residence, a barn and at least two vehicles were destroyed and more were threatened, said Don Ryan, the emergency services manager for Solano County. He said Grizzly Island Road, which provides access to the wildlife area, was closed to all traffic.

The grass fire was 70 percent contained Sunday night, Ryan said, and Grizzly Island itself appeared to be safe. Still, the fast spread of the flames, which were pushed by hot, swirling winds similar to the gale that spread the devastating Wine Country fires a year ago, gave fire crews a scare.

It was moving so fast early in the day that local firefighters asked the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to send helicopters and air tankers to bombard the flames with water and flame retardant.

Winds pushed the fire away from Suisun City, after it neared the Lawler Ranch subdivision earlier, Suisun City Fire Chief Justin Vincent reported on Facebook.

Clouds of smoke and ash from the fire, blown by gusting northeast winds, spread south, carrying with them a strong smell and fears of a nearby wildfire. Residents as far south as San Jose reported smelling smoke. Fire departments advised residents of the Solano County fire and urged them not to call 911 if they smelled smoke, only to call if they saw flames or dark clouds of smoke.

“We’re getting reports of people saying there is pretty heavy smoke,” said Kristine Roselius, a spokeswoman for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. “We weren’t expecting it to get all the way to the South Bay so quickly, but it was quite windy, and the winds were spreading the wildfire smoke.”

Roselius said those who smell smoke should stay inside and keep their doors and windows shut. Homeowners and motorists should set air conditioning units and car venting systems on “recirculate.”

“Now is not the time to go for a run,” she said.

The National Weather Service reported Sunday afternoon that the spreading smoke was affecting aircraft approaches to San Francisco International Airport.

Several other smoky blazes contributed to the haze. A 15-acre brush fire was extinguished around noon near the Interstate 80-Interstate 505 interchange in Vacaville, where the connector ramps were closed briefly.

Fires were also reported near Morgan Hill, where Cal Fire battled the 62-acre Park Fire at Monterey Road and Coyote Creek Golf Drive, which forced a brief closure of part of Highway 101. The Park Fire was reported to be 90 percent contained Sunday night.

Evacuations were ordered in Tehama County, where two fires burned 3,848 acres. Cal Fire officials said the twin blazes were 40 percent contained Sunday night.

The East Bay and North Bay hills and the Santa Cruz Mountains are under a red-flag alert — a warning that high winds and low humidity could cause fires to spread quickly — until Monday morning. The area covered by the warning extends north to Redding.

There was some good fire news. The Delta Fire, which destroyed 63,311 acres and closed Interstate 5 for several days north of Redding near Lake Shasta, has been fully contained. The blaze, which ignited Sept. 5, destroyed 20 structures.

Michael Cabanatuan and Peter Fimrite are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com, pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan, @pfimrite