Firefighters continue to fight a 21,900-acre blaze in Sonoma County as of early Friday morning, according to Cal Fire. The fire is currently 5% contained and has prompted the evacuation of 2,000 residents.
The fire started Wednesday night around 9:30 pm, near The Geysers geothermal field during a red flag warning for extreme heat and wind. Pacific Gas and Electric had shut off power to a large percentage of Sonoma County earlier that day, the second “public safety power shutoff” this month due to fire risk.
Named the Kincade fire after the road on which it started, the blaze is in the Alexander Valley American Viticultural Area near the town of Geyserville, north of the more populated cities of Healdsburg and Santa Rosa. It prompted a mandatory evacuation for all residents of Geyserville, and an evacuation warning for Healdsburg. Winds were thought to have been gusting at 76 mph near the fire, according to National Weather Service data and reporting by The Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
Lisa Mattson, director of marketing and communications for Jordan Winery, has been monitoring the situation closely, and says that the winery is fine for now and finished harvest last week. However, she says many of the growers they work with are still in harm’s way. The winery has closed their doors and canceled all tours due to air quality and road closures.
Some growers Jordan works with on Red Winery Road stayed behind to fight the fire, saving two family homes and a winery. Still, flames destroyed a house used for vineyard crews as well as two rental properties.
Prominent wineries in the area include Trione Vineyards and Winery, deLorimier Winery, Stuhlmuller Vineyards, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Young Estate, Skipstone and others, in addition to many ranchers and grape growers.
Robert Young Estate Winery posted the following on its Facebook page Thursday morning:
“Thank you all for your concern. As you may have seen on the news, there is fire on our property affecting brush and pasture areas but our structures, winery and tasting room, are still intact. Our family and team are safe. We are very grateful to the fire crews working hard to fight this fire. We will continue to update you as we get information.”
This story is ongoing. Please check back for updates.