California’s wine country under siege
Flames driven by hot winds torch hundreds of homes; 20,000 forced to flee
Wind-whipped fires sweeping across California’s wine country Monday burned hundreds of homes and forced thousands to flee communities, hospitals and wineries ahead of the hard-charging flames.
At least one person has died and two are seriously injured.
State Forestry and Fire Protection chief Kim Pimlott estimated that 1,500 homes, businesses and other structures were destroyed — making Monday one of the most destructive wildfire days in state history. About 20,000 people evacuated, Pimlott said.
Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency and mobilized the National Guard to help combat the burgeoning crisis.
In Santa Rosa, 50 miles north of San Francisco in Sonoma County, “fast-moving fires” compelled authorities to continually expand the area of mandatory evacuations. More than a dozen evacuation centers were opened, though some quickly filled.
The Sutter Santa Rosa Hospital evacuated its 80 patients; the hospital reported on social media that “all patients and staff are safe.” Kaiser Permanente’s Santa Rosa medical center evacuated 130 patients.
“Leave immediately,” the police department warned residents on Facebook after the fire jumped a freeway. “This is a life threatening situation.”
Marian Williams said she caravanned with neighbors through the flames as one of the wildfires reached the vineyards near her home in Kenwood.
“It was an inferno like you’ve never seen before,” she said. “Trees were on fire like torches.”
Another Kenwood resident, John Dean, said he drove past several burning houses.
“I mean blazing, falling down on fire,” he said.
The National Weather Service issued a “red flag” warning — critical fire conditions — citing high winds and low humidity.
“Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly,” the weather service warned.
San Francisco smelled like fire, and the city warned residents to close windows and keep children and pets indoors to avoid inhaling the smoke.
In Napa County, east of Sonoma, one fire burned 200 acres and forced evacuation of hundreds of homes and businesses. Another fire straddling the two counties ballooned from 200 acres to more than 20,000 acres.
“This fire exploded,” state Fire Battalion Chief Jonathan Cox told KTVU in Oakland. The Silverado Resort and Spa, which hosted the professional golf tour’s Safeway Open that ended Sunday, was evacuated, the
San Francisco Chronicle and other media reported.
Chris Thomas, 42, of Kirkland, Wash., told the Chronicle he arrived late Sunday with his wife, Marissa Schneider.
They smelled smoke, saw a fire truck roll by, then were ordered to evacuate via loudspeaker, Thomas said.
“It was surreal,” Thomas told the Chronicle. “When I started loading stuff into the car it was a hell-storm of smoke and ash. There were 30- to 40-mph winds. I couldn’t even breathe.”
It’s been a fiery year in the West. Wildfires have scorched almost 8.5 million acres across the nation this year, an area about the size of the state of Maryland, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. That’s about 2.5 million acres more than the to-date average of 6 million.
“It was an inferno like you’ve never seen before. Trees were on fire like torches.”
Marian Williams,
Kenwood, Calif.