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Napa wine country faces new fire fears
At least one winery is believed to have been damaged as evacuation orders are issued to parts of Napa county after three fires threaten the area.
The so-called Glass Fire started yesterday morning (27 September) near St. Helena and has now grown to an area of 2,500 acres, according to the latest figures from Cal Fire.
Napa County Sheriff’s Office has issued mandatory evacuation orders to areas east of the Silverado trail, from the outskirts of Calistoga to the tip of Lake Hennessey.
On the other side of the valley, two other fires have also erupted. The Boysen Fire broke out just west of St. Helena, while the Shady Fire is now burning across both Napa and Sonoma counties, stretching to just west of Santa Rosa.
Images on social media appear to show Château Boswell Winery in St. Helena engulfed in flames
Cal Fire has said that the cause of the Glass Fire remains under investigation and that it is currently 0% contained. Napa County officials have warned that severe winds are forecast for Monday morning, which “could create extreme danger”.
According to the National Interagency Fire Center, 44,174 wildfires have burned 7.1 million acres in the US this year. Cal Fire data shows that over 3.6 million acres have burned in California alone. Five out of the largest 10 wildfires in state history started this year, it noted.
However, the California Wine Institute said last month that the impact on the state’s wineries and vineyards had been “minimal”. However, the extent of smoke taint issues remains to be fully assessed and laboratories are being overwhelmed with requests to test grape samples.
In a statement last week, the California Association of Winegrape Growers said growers and winemakers were facing “unprecedented losses” from the west coast fires. The association, together with nine other wine industry groups, is requesting an extension to the Wildfire and Hurricane Program Plus to cover losses incurred as a result of the 2020 wildfires.
Read more:
FIRES IN CALIFORNIA WINE COUNTRY: WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR
CALIFORNIA HARVEST PRESSES ON DESPITE RECORD-SHATTERING FIRES
CALIFORNIA SMOKE TAINT TEST SITUATION ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ FOR GROWERS