Napa County residents reported problems with getting alerts about fires, an issue possibly caused by fire damage to cellphone towers, a county spokeswoman said Tuesday.
"We are well aware that there are challenges," said Napa County Public Information Officer Kristi Jourdan. "It's been a challenge to get information to folks at times using Nixle. I know some folks have had problems receiving text messages."
Nixle is a popular alert system used by public safety agencies and schools.
In a news conference Tuesday, Mark Ghilarducci, director of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, acknowledged that many evacuees are struggling to access alerts or get in touch with each other.
He said that across Northern California, 77 cell sites were destroyed or damaged, and that the state is creating mobile communications units to help.
In addition to Napa County, the city of Napa uses Nixle, noting on its website that the service allows for "real-time alerts and notifications about emergencies, traffic problems, crime watch notices, safety tips and more directly to your cell phone or e-mail."
The company did not immediately return a phone call Tuesday.
Napa resident Brenda Burke, 55, said a Nixle alert about the Atlas Peak fire came in about 30 minutes after its postmarked 11 p.m. time on Sunday night. She said she was first alerted to the fire earlier in the night by a friend who sent a text message.
There are at least three major fires burning in Napa County: the Atlas Peak fire, the Tubbs fire and the Partrick/Carneros fire.
In addition to using Nixle, Jourdan said the county partners with local radio stations KVON and KVYN and posts messages on its Facebook and Twitter pages. She said residents should check all those sources.
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