Valley Fire Containment Grows To 45 Percent

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7:50 p.m. - Cal Fire says containment on the Valley Fire has grown to 45 percent, with acreage burned holding at 73,700 through the day Friday.

Just In - The #ValleyFire is now 73,700 acres & 45% contained. Evacuation Orders lifted for Twin Lakes & Rancho Sendero in Lake County.

— CAL FIRE PIO Berlant (@CALFIRE_PIO) September 19, 2015

9 a.m. - People who live in the Berryessa Estates portion of Lake County were allowed to return home Thursday.

The Valley Fire is still burning across 73,700 acres in Lake, Sonoma and Napa Counties. Cal Fire has increased containment to 40 percent with the help of rain and cooler temperatures yesterday.

Now that the burned areas are being repopulated, law enforcement is keeping the peace. Ramiro Rodriguez with Cal Fire says fire crews, law enforcement and PG&E are working to keep residents safe as they return home.

"There is a tremendous amount of law enforcement present," says Rodriguez. "They're actively patrolling the various communities that were affected by the wildfire. They are maintaining security and civil order."

Rodriguez says firefighters made progress with favorable weather this week, but they still have more work ahead. 

"The rain helped up significantly with dampening the area," he says. "However the canopies were so dense that the underlayment of the turf and the grass was still burning and still containing a lot of heat." 

Rodriguez says firefighters are cautiously optimistic that containment numbers will go up over the weekend despite forecasts of higher temperatures and 15 to 20 mile an hour winds.

The Valley Fire has claimed three lives and almost 600 homes. 

7:10 a.m. - The Valley Fire is still burning across Lake County and parts of Napa and Sonoma counties. The fire has burned 73,700 acres and Cal Fire has increased containment to 40 percent.

Ramiro Rodriguez is with Cal Fire. He says they're cautiously optimistic that containment progress on the Valley Fire during this week's rain won't be lost over the weekend.

"We are expecting warmer temperatures this weekend," says Rodriguez. "We continue to see a flare up within the island of the fire area. We're hoping that with the high temperatures and approximately 15 to 20 mile per hour winds this weekend, that it won't pose a potential threat or a possible flare up."

The Valley Fire has claimed three lives and almost 600 homes. 

6:45 a.m. - Firefighters are working to extend containment lines on the Valley Fire burning in Lake, Napa and Sonoma counties. 

The Valley Fire has burned 73,700 acres and is 35 percent contained. 

Authorities are allowing residents to return to homes in the Berryessa Estates. Road closures have also been modified:

• The road closure located at Butts Canyon Road at Aetna Springs Road has been opened and is being moved north to Butts Canyon Road and Snell Valley Road.
• A road closure has been established at the entrance of Aetna Springs Road.
• A road closure has been established at the entrance of James Creek Road.