California wildfires force evacuations, worry wine country

Lina Portman2 weeks ago

0 4 minutes read

A cluster of California wildfires are ravaging several regions, forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes and threatening the state's world-famous wineries.

But on Tuesday, the latest reports from firefighters indicated that injuries so far were minimal. And Northern California grape growers are breathing sighs of relief after one of the wildfires was 40% contained and appears to have missed the region's famous wine-growing lands.

The fire, locally nicknamed Point Fire, broke out Sunday and put wineries and residents in famed Healdsburg, Calif., on alert during the Father's Day holiday, said Lauren Fremont, executive director of the Dry Creek Valley winemakers. But as of Tuesday, no wineries had experienced significant destruction and that looked like the “best case scenario,” she told USA TODAY.

“We were really lucky and were spared for the most part,” Fremont said.

The fire destroyed two structures and injured one person, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and firefighters had 40% of the fire under control as of Tuesday.

Elsewhere in California, firefighters are battling numerous other wildfires, including a massive blaze outside Los Angeles, forcing more than 1,000 people to evacuate.

The fire in the Sonoma area was the latest in a series of several over the past seven years to directly threaten wine country. Weather and climate conditions mean the fires are likely to continue, said Corey Manning, owner of a winery located a quarter-mile from the recent blaze.

“It's kind of a recurring trauma,” Manning said, explaining how many winery owners, staff and first responders in the area come together to provide post-traumatic counseling through a music therapy program founded by Rick Allen, the drummer of the rock group Def. Lepard.

High winds and dry conditions sparked fires in Southern California on Tuesday, and in New Mexico, firefighters struggled to contain wildfires outside the small town of Ruidoso. Hundreds of structures in the area were affected by the fires.

Fires in wine regions impact producers

The Dry Creek Valley in California's Sonoma County is known for its Zinfandel grapes, some of which grow on vines more than 100 years old, Fremont said. The region also produces exceptional Sauvignon Blanc, she said, and more than 30 other types of wine.

Manning's winery, Chateau Diana, is known for its Chardonnay and Cabaret Sauvignon, he said.

“There's a lot at stake, there's the potential to lose our home again,” said Manning, who lost his Santa Rosa home in a 2017 fire.

But people are more prepared and more aware of reality than ever, he said. More growers are also planting grapes that can be harvested earlier in the season, before October, the historical date when the worst wildfires can break out, he said. This year, Chateau Diana planted Sauvignon Blanc grapes that were due to be harvested in early September because they wanted to “be done with them before the fire season started.”

“As fires increase, people are thinking about what grapes they are going to plant in the future,” Manning said. “It’s a long-term impact in terms of the decisions people make about what they plant.”

A winery on the mountainside in Dry Creek Valley had minimal impact on its grapes, Fremont said, but it was a very small area of vines that were burned. The fact that the season is so early and the grapes are still young, green and tough has helped spare wineries from potentially more serious damage, she said.

Vineyards escape unscathed Tuesday

Overall, first responders and the whims of Mother Nature helped avert a potential disaster Sunday night and Monday, Fremont said.

The winds changed Sunday evening, she said, and firefighters were able to quickly contain the fire and prevent it from reaching the wineries. In a worst-case scenario, an entire harvest of grapes – known as an annual vintage – could be destroyed by fire, or the smoke could negatively impact the taste of the wine grapes, making the wine produced that called a smoke odor, Fremont said. .

This was averted, she said, adding that the quick and heroic efforts of first responders saved the entire Dry Creek Valley from what could easily have become a major crisis.

Manning agrees: “They show up for us on our worst days,” he said, referring to firefighters and other responders.

A firefighter was injured Monday as rescuers brought the blaze under control. As of Tuesday, the fire – which is burning about 1,200 acres – was 40% contained, according to Cal Fire.

2 fires converge towards Ruidoso

Two wildfires that broke out earlier this week on either side of Ruidoso, New Mexico, are converging on the village on tribal lands in southern New Mexico, leading to the evacuation of thousands of people.

The fires are like a “pair of pliers,” New Mexico forestry spokesman George Ducker told CNN this week.

Early Monday evening, flames damaged several structures, the New Mexico Forestry Division says, but it's unclear how many.

The village of Ruidoso demands that people leave immediately.

“Please don't try to gather your belongings or protect your home – LEAVE NOW,” the village of Ruidoso said in a message on X early Tuesday morning.

Wildfire outside Los Angeles burns 15,000 acres

The Post Fire burning outside Los Angeles is the largest active wildfire in California, burning about 15,600 acres, according to Cal Fire. California's second-largest fire, in Colusa County, burns 10,000 acres.

The fire, burning in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, has been difficult to control because it is in steep, hard-to-access areas, Cal Fire said. Weather conditions also make the fire difficult to contain, officials said.

Winds are generating heavy smoke that could hamper motorists' visibility on Interstate-5, officials warned, and critical infrastructure such as power lines, dams and oil pipelines are threatened by the wildfire.

Contributors: Anthony Robledo, Julia Gomez

Fires in wine regions impact producers

Vineyards escape unscathed Tuesday

2 fires converge towards Ruidoso

Wildfire outside Los Angeles burns 15,000 acres

Lina Portman

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