Wildfires burning in Wine Country
Ellen Huet | San Francisco Chronicle
Updated 10:39 am, Wednesday, May 1, 2013
(05-01) 09:47 PDT CALISTOGA -- Wildfires burned through hundreds of acres of Wine Country on Wednesday, pushed by gusty winds and a heat wave that is likely to last until the weekend, authorities said.Firefighters have yet to achieve any containment of a 200-acre fire in Knights Valley in Sonoma County, which is burning across grassy hills and coming close to vineyards, said Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant. No buildings have been damaged.
The fire began around midnight, possibly when winds knocked a tree into a power line, Berlant said. About 100 firefighters and one water-dropping helicopter are expected to work through the day to contain the blaze, dubbed the Yellow Fire for its proximity to Yellow Jacket Ranch road in Calistoga.
Another fire has burned about 75 acres near the Silverado Trail outside Yountville in Napa County, a winery-dotted road parallel to Highway 29. The blaze was about 60 percent contained, and Cal Fire hoped to have it completely contained by noon, Berlant said.
One nonresidential structure was damaged in the fire, which began around midnight. The cause of the fire is unknown.
No injuries were reported in either fire.
Fire season typically doesn't start until June, but authorities posted red-flag fire warnings this week in the North and East Bay hills because of strong winds and unusually dry brush. Cal Fire hired its seasonal firefighters several weeks earlier than normal, Berlant said.
Winds hit 54 mph overnight in Sonoma and 39 mph in Napa, said Steve Anderson, a forecaster with the National Weather Service.
"The winds are posing a big challenge for us," Berlant said. "That coupled with very dry conditions have made the area ripe for wildfire."
The forecast for Wednesday, however, held some good news for firefighters: The high winds in the area will subside after about noon and won't return, Anderson said.
The heat is another matter. Temperatures in some parts of the Bay Area were already above 70 at 9 a.m., and highs are predicted to reach the 90s in the North Bay by Thursday.
It will be hot in the rest of the Bay Area as well, with even San Francisco expected to reach the mid-80s on Thursday, before a cooling trend kicks in Saturday, the weather service said.
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