The fires that began Sunday in the famed
Napa-Sonoma wine country about 45 miles (72
kilometers) north of San Francisco came as the
region nears the third anniversary of deadly
wildfires that erupted in 2017, including one
that killed 22 people. Just a month ago, many of
those same residents were evacuated from the
path of a lightning-sparked fire that became the
fourth-largest in state history.
“Our firefighters have not had much of a break,
and these residents have not had much of a
break,” said Daniel Berlant, assistant deputy
director with the California Department of
Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire.
Sonoma County Supervisor Susan Gorin
evacuated her home in the Oakmont
community of Santa Rosa about 1 a.m. She is
rebuilding a home damaged in the 2017 fires.
Gorin told the San Francisco Chronicle that she is
numb, and the situation feels surreal.
“It’s like God has no sympathy, no empathy for
Sonoma County,” she said.
More than 53,000 people in Sonoma and
Napa counties have been evacuated in the
latest inferno, one of 27 major fire clusters
burning across the state, said Berlant. Many
more have been warned that they might have
to flee, even though officials expect winds to
ease into next days.
The Glass Fire broke out before 4 a.m. Sunday
and merged with two other fires to scorch 17
square miles (44 square kilometers). Officials did
not have an estimate on the number of homes
destroyed or burned, but the blaze engulfed
the Chateau Boswell Winery in St. Helena and at
least one five-star resort.