A fast-moving wildfire aided by powerful winds in Northern California’s wine country has prompted mandatory evacuation orders in Geyserville, an area of Sonoma County 75 miles north of San Francisco.
The Kincade Fire had spread to 10,000 acres by early Thursday, with no containment, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The department issued red flag warnings for the area, a critical alert for when weather conditions such as high heat, low humidity, lightning strikes and strong winds could result in intense and quick-burning fires.
When my friends from the East Coast ask why these fires are so furious and deadly I tell them “Picture Hurricane Sandy without rain”. That really is the only difference. We have fires out here all the time just like other places in the US during “normal” conditions. Fire departments put the fire out in a short time, end of fire but when these Canyon winds occur a simple brush fire literally becomes an inferno. It becomes unstoppable until the winds become more manageable.
Tom
PS: We lived in NJ when Hurricane Sandy hit in 2012
Looks like AME/Stonestreet Estate Vineyards are getting hit pretty hard, keep seeing blocks on the news I used to visit with my wife who was formerly the Assistant Winemaker there.
Finished up a hike at Foothill Regional Park about an hour ago. At the Alta Vista lookout looking North you could see the clouds of smoke moving due West. In downtown Windsor it’s still clear, no smoke though that is likely to change.
Crazy but looking out West from the Alta Vista lookout Windsor is clear but well beyond around Guerneville there is a huge clouds of smoke. The smoke going due West and then turning South as it gets close to the Pacific.
Wind direction is likely to change during the day.
PG&E cut the power off too before the fire even started out there. Really hope this fire gets contained soon and mother nature helps with the winds dying down and humidity rising. Feel horrible for those affected. October has been unrelenting in NorCal the past 3 years…
Jeff, the area where this “Kincaid” fire started is DESOLATE. Even a experienced hiker would have trouble hiking to the area where this fire started no less have brush cleared.
The problem is with 60 MPH winds the fire goes from desolate to populated pretty damn quick.