Northern California Wildfire Threatening Homes
Source The Press Democrat, Santa Rosa, Calif.
The unusually dry winter in Northern California has begun to take a toll usually seen in summertime.
A wildfire is raging out of control outside Napa and has engulfed 35 acres, threatening three homes, said Julie Hutchinson, battalion chief with CalFire. The blaze was 50 percent contained at 5:30 p.m.
The fire near the intersection of Soda Canyon Road and the Silverado Trail was first reported by a passerby around 12:30 p.m. Temperatures in the area had reached the mid-70s, Hutchinson said.
"Especially up in that area, it's very unusual, even in the summer, to have a fire of this size," Hutchinson said. "We're seeing this throughout the state, especially in the western Sierra ... and it's not going to get any better if we don't have rainfall."
More than 200 firefighters are battling the blaze which has been fueled by wind gusts of 30 to 35 miles per hour. There was no word on the cause of the fire that's burning in a steep ravine.
"We do have investigators out there, but right now everyones focused on stopping it," Hutchinson said. "The steeper it is, the slower they go, and the harder it is to maneuver."
In addition to CalFire, crews came from Napa, American Canyon, St. Helena and Calistoga.
Copyright 2012 - The Press Democrat, Santa Rosa, Calif.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
