I'm in Orange County and we have a fire right now north of where I live. It is not the same area but still scary. Several homes have burned already.

This fire will go down in history. I can't remember another fire as devastating in the greater bay area since the Oakland hills fire and this one is looking to be a lot worse.. The wineries? How about over 1500 homes, 2 area hospitals having to be evacuated and hotels and businesses burned to the ground. If anyone is envisioning a country fire burning nothing but vineyards and trees this is not it. This fire has hit the city of Santa Rosa hard, not just the outlining areas. Three counties are affected.

Yes the smoke is everywhere all the way down to the south bay. San Franciscans have such heavy smoke and ash it appears they are in fire even though they are not.

Santa Rosa is well north of the areas you mention so no fire danger but the smoke is everywhere. There have been reports of people smelling it as far south as Santa Cruz.

The winds were very heavy last night. They blew the smoke south. It was very heavy here in San Francisco, which is 45 miles away. It's clearing up some now. The devastation is enormous. These fires are not just forest fires. Wineries are gone. Entire neighborhoods are gone. Shopping malls are gone. Hotels are gone. PICTURES

My brother lives 25 mi NE of Sacramento, and he says he can smell the smoke from the Napa/Sonoma fire. I also have a niece who lives 2-3 miles NW of the Anaheim Hills fire, and she just voluntarily evacuated. This niece also survived the Las Vegas concert shooting, so feels a bit like moving from one disastrous event to another.

Positive thoughts to all who are affected. Stay safe, Chi.

One of my nephews lives in Santa Rosa area, and has been told to leave, he is with his brother, in Rhonard Park... and the fire is near there too.

I'm a few hours to the south. It was smoky out this morning but less so now, maybe because the wind shifted?

Rohnert Park is just a few miles south of Santa Rosa, so it's the same situation, same place.

Our rainy season hasn't started yet so the hills and the brush are ready to burn at the end of a long, dry summer. Add in the hot weather we've been having and with the winds, the risk for hot, fast-spreading fires is at the peak. Very tragic.

I think the fires so far are in the wine country hills (coming down into Santa Rosa, as reported) and also to the north of there, with nothing happening in the Bay Area proper that I've heard of. Sacramento is more than an hour to the east and sits on a flat valley floor, surrounded mostly by farmland. It may be at some risk of grass fires sometimes but nothing to the extent of what's going on elsewhere.

Oh wow I hadn't realized how bad the fires up north were. It is somewhat rare for the fires to make it to businesses and stores and other heavily developed areas these days, isn't it? Homes in the outskirts near the brush, yes.

We were planning on a day trip to Geyserville (in the Sonoma Valley) today to pick up my Fall allocation of wine from the Francis Ford Coppola Winery. As it turned out, we went on Saturday so that we could meet up in St. Helena (in the Napa Valley) with some friends from Southern California. Went to Coppola first, then met our friends at the Raymond Winery in St. Helena, then we all went to dinner.

Got a notice this morning from Coppola that the winery and restaurant are closed today because of the fires. The Sutter Hospital in Santa Rosa (where one of our grand-nephews was born 2.5 years ago) had to be evacuated, and the Hilton Santa Rose Wine Country, where we've stayed several times, is on fire.

We live in a suburb of Sacramento, and Elmer is right about it being pretty much flat land. I can smell the smoke from the fires, and I sit here thankful that we have a metal roof and a stucco exterior on our house...

I didn't intend to trivialize the fire areas or devastation, Watch. It was a case of not knowing what to ask. The news here was spotty at best and I was trying to get a feel for the enormity of it all. One CA newspaper said telephone lines were down and they thought that text mail might be the only option for communication...but then AT+T was reporting problems. I now have a much better understanding thanks to y'all.

Mendocino was a favorite area of mine when I lived in CA. It breaks my heart to see the fire devastation...not to mention trying to assimilate the loss of lives, livelihoods and homes. Thank you for the photos, Golfergirl. They'll be with me for a long time.

There isn't much in life that frightens me but fire does...and always has. I can only begin to imagine the struggle it's taking to cope with all of this right now. Javiwa...your poor niece. She's had more than her share of trauma in the last couple of weeks. I hope she survives it all.

Despite the fact that I haven't lived there in a little over 40 years...CA is very near and dear to me. I'd move back there in a heartbeat if I had the wherewithal to do so. I prayed that the drought was the last of all its problems. I guess I didn't pray loudly or long enough. Now I'll pray that you all will survive this unimaginable devastation.

Please continue to give updates if you can. I'm very appreciative of your contributions. I know I will get the true picture from all of you and that's very important to me. Thank you...and...please stay safe.

In the same vein, I don't want to trivialize the terror and awful damage and suffering such fires cause and of course I hope they're soon brought under control. BUT, the three things to always be expected statewide in California are earthquakes, fires, and droughts. Some places are more prone to some than others - obviously there are more fires in the forested areas and no fires in the desert nor in the truly urban areas, other than neighborhoods abutting wild areas. But in these are (mostly) natural occurrences that happen regularly on their own time schedules and are to be expected.

I know you didn't mean it that way Andi. But my post was more for informing people that "wine country" is not what people see on travelogues. A lot of people see it as just valleys and foothills of vineyards. The wine trains etc. Wine country is just a small part of the area. Santa Rosa and outlying suburbs have grown tremendously in the last few decades. It is no longer just an area of picturesque small towns it once was. We looked into moving to the area 30 years ago. It is nothing like it was then.

Yes, Fudd...I know these natural disasters are to be expected in CA. But one hopes that they won't keep occurring. And one further hopes that all three won't be visited one right after another. I dealt with quakes. They never really bothered me and to this day...I can still tell when one is occurring...here or there...long before anyone else. Hurricanes are far worse! I even survived minor droughts. But fire is a devastation all unto itself. I think the entire informed public is used to the So Ca Santa Ana fire season. But none of us were ready for this...or the fire in Yosemite last year. Enough is enough! I've yet to read all that Jakkom has given me. Does anyone know what started these fires?

I know that the wine country is nothing like it was when I lived in CA, Watch. To me, it was truly God's country. Very rural and simply beautiful. Ansel Adams had a gallery along the Shoreline Highway in Mendocino that I loved to visit. Then we'd often drive up old Rt 49 to the gold country. And, of course...we made semi annual trips to our favorite wineries. Today...I doubt I'd even recognize my old haunts. One can't blame the wineries and the gold country for wanting success but it's kinda sad that success has overridden so much of the natural beauty of the area. I'm definitely an Ansel Adams kinda gal. It breaks my heart to think of the devastation these fires will bring to life and nature. It's unconscionable.

Jakkom...you're wonderful!!! Thank you so much for all the info sites. I'd bookmarked the Sacramento Bee and the SF Chronicle...but your info sites are far, far better. It's so kind of you to have taken the time to do this. I shall devour every speck of info and I sincerely appreciate knowing that my relatives and friends are safe from this tragedy. Thank you.

At least 10 dead according to Google News.

Lindsey...Coppola has a Merlot that's rather pricey here on the right coast...but it's wonderful...and worth every penny. There was no Coppola vineyard when I lived in CA. For the sake of the Merlot alone...I hope the winery survives. [Just a bit of lightness to offset this disastrous occurrence.] I'm glad you made your trek earlier than intended.

I remember the Sacramento area quite well...and driving there from the Los Altos area just south of SF. Yup! It was flat! A lot of farmland if I remember correctly. Onions? Garlic? I can almost smell them now. LOL For the life of me I can't remember the name of the town but there's a big So Pacific RR feature just outside of Sacramento that I visited a time or two.

Lots of old memories to keep me company tonight.

Jim's cousin and her husband are recently retired from teaching at a couple of college int he area, and the ranch where they have been growing grapes for various wineries for 25 + years. and the place is now run by their son. They are RVing around the country and now parking in our driveway in PA.

Their place is to the west of Healdsburg and a little north. They've spent the day today contacting everyonr they know throughout the region. They are safe, but who knows what tomorrow will bring..

This is terrifying and they feel so helpless being so far away.

Your memory of onions and garlic, andi, may be from this area. Part of the tradition now includes the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival in the southern part of Santa Clara county, south of San Jose. At harvest time, the aroma spreads through the area, especially in the morning.

Just heard from Bill. All are fine. Marc's house in Santa Rosa is ok.

Moni

Is your house still out of the danger zone, Chi?

I agree with wildfires being the scariest CA adventure. Lived here all my life, and I haven't experienced an earthquake that was enough to frighten me since I was about 6. (Yes we remain prepared, but we are in a less active part of the state.) Have had many wildfires whip through where we have lived through, evacuations too numerous to count and have experience losing everything except the house. It is heartbreaking to see all of the losses in Northern CA--it moved so fast, I worry what they will discover later. So far we are lucky that the losses have been fewer with the local blaze.

No, Fudd...the onion aroma was noted driving through Vacaville. It took a while but it finally came to me. Not Gilroy!

Moni...so glad your people are OK.

Chi...I hope for you the same...that you stay out of the danger zone.

Sushi...I hope everything stays safe for your relatives. Dealing with this disaster a long way from their home is a horribly stressful experience. Under similar circumstances...I doubt I'd be able to sit still.

My sorority DD (DD's "big sister") is under evacuation alert in Fairfield. Friends in Vallejo marked themselves safe but are still watchful since there are fires burning to the north,east and west of them.

At the gym I hurried in to watch the fire news on the bank of TVs. I had seen the beginning of ABC news with David Muir before leaving the house. There was literally NO news of this devastation. With all the hurricanes, Las Vegas tragedy I guess this got lost in the shuffle. My heart goes out to the people out there. It's truly awful.

I was in Fremont this evening and you could no longer smell smoke.

Andi wrote, "Coppola has a Merlot that's rather pricey here on the right coast...but it's wonderful...and worth every penny. There was no Coppola vineyard when I lived in CA."

In 2006, Francis Ford Coppola purchased the property that used to be Chateau Souverain and it became the Francis Ford Coppola Winery, although along the way it was known by other FFC-related names, including Rosso & Bianco, which is also the name of a line of 4 wines (2 reds, 2 whites) that retail for $12 each and can be found in grocery store wine sections.

After Coppola purchased the property, he, obviously, had to make some changes before opening it as a Coppola winery. I don't recall the date he opened, but I believe it was by early 2007 ( I know I have credit card statements for purchases in 2007!) In 2008 he closed the main buildings for renovation and wine tasting and purchases were done in a temporary building behind the property. Anyone who joined as a wine club member before the grand re-opening would be considered a "First Member," and would receive a greater discount on wine and merchandise than the folks who joined the wine club after the re-opening. I am an Amanti First Member (there is an Amanti club and an Amici club -- Amanti is Family, Amici is Friends). I get 30% off all wine and merchandise, "Regular" members get 25% off wine and 15% off merchandise.

But, I digress...

The FFC Winery sells four Merlot wines. The four lines are: Director's Great Movies - $24 per bottle; Director's Cut - $23 per bottle; Director's - $21 per bottle; and Diamond - $19 per bottle.

From your former screen name, it appears you live (or did at the time) in Connecticut. If you're still in CT, you can order directly from the winery, as CT is now one of the states they can ship to that used to be a no-no. They often have a $5 shipping special if you buy $99 or more.

Just curious, which Merlot is it that you like, and how much does it cost where you are?

Try the Santa Rosa Press Democrat site for good coverage.

Not sure what the San Francisco TV stations are showing, but you can try those online.

My friend in St. Helena is staying put - she insists she's in no danger, but fire is literally all around her home and her vineyards. She hasn't posted anything since about 1am her time, saying phone lines and cell service were down, but they still (at that time) had power and were using wifi. She said they were expecting to lose power at any time, and that they were safe.

I'm so worried about her.

Lindsey...The first bottle I bought was dated 2009 and it was so smooth. Like velvet. It's the Diamond Collection - Blue Label. The last bottle I bought was 2013 and a little young. Personally...I would have let it age a tad longer but it's still amazing. Your noted price of $19/bottle is a lot more appealing than what I paid...which was close to $30/bottle. Thanks for the info about shipping to CT. I seem to remember reading about CT opening our "borders" in the last year or so. There were a lot of unhappy retailers at the time. I'll have to reload Coppola's website and check the details.

[BTW, Lindsey...due to more pressing life demands...I still haven't resolved all my cell phone issues...but it works. I have a new # and for the one or two times that I might need to use it...it's satisfactory...for the moment. I apologize for not updating regarding it but there really wasn't much to report. It's still on my list to check other providers. I still have all the info you so kindly gave me and although it's a project on a back burner...it's not a dead issue. I've never forgotten your kind hand holding.]

Just this morning a friend was telling me that her sister and her sister's husband were staying in a motel in Santa Rosa last night (or maybe the night before) and around 2 AM they awoke because they smelled smoke. They went outside to see what was up, and the sky was red, and smoke was everywhere. They were told that they had to evacuate, but they discovered they had left the key to the rental car in their room and people weren't being allowed back into the building.

A stranger gave them a ride to a nearby location where they had friends. That morning they learned that the motel had burned to the ground. And their rental car is destroyed.

Poor Santa Rosa! About a dozen years ago we stayed in a lovely hotel called Vineyard Creek while attending a wedding at a nearby vineyard. We walked around the old-timey center of town Sunday morning. (I remember it took us almost as long to reach Santa Rosa from San Francisco that Friday afternoon as it had taken us to fly in from Chicago.)

We have friends with property in Healdsburg and Larkspur -- neither seems in this firestorm; am I correct? Terrible tragedy.

Larkspur is south of San Raphael, central Marin county. It's far from the problems. Healdsburg seems to be okay with fires to the north and south but not immediately close, as per the Cal Fire map. Temps are lower and winds are calmer, that should help with containment efforts though there is a lot of fuel that can burn.

Because of the 2016 heavy winter rains, there was tremendous grass/weed/underbrush growth everywhere. Once the summer comes, the rains stops and all that green growth turns into fuel. October is historically CA's worst fire month because rains usually start again in November.

Much of the damage comes because cities/towns have expanded, pushing developments out into formerly empty areas. Suburban sprawl and small-town growth push houses and commercial development into the path of forest fires.

Unfortunately, although the weather inversion which began Sat Oct 7th has broken down, there is a new prediction for high gusty winds starting tomorrow, Wed Oct 11th, starting 5p and lasting thru 5p Thursday Oct 12th. This will begin another Red Flag Warning (high fire danger conditions) for the North Bay and the East Bay hills, but not the South Bay.

On the good side, the winds will be accompanied by a cooling front with high humidity and the possibility of actual showers, so as Elmer said, firefighting efforts should be helped by the weather this time, instead of hindered as they were over the weekend.

OMG!!! This is what devastation looks like. Link below from the NY Times. I hope the videos will play for you. I pray that all our KT friends and relatives are safe. That all those the are affected will survive to see a new home, a new day. This is the kind of total destruction that one would expect to see in a war zone. No weapons here! Just terrible, horrible, ravaging fires.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/10/10/us/california-wildfires-drone-footage.html?em_pos=small&emc=edit_up_20171011&nl=upshot&nl_art=2&nlid=80864962&ref=headline&te=1

It is so sad. I also worry about pets where the owners were unable to get to their homes to rescue them. :(

"Because of the 2016 heavy winter rains, there was tremendous grass/weed/underbrush growth everywhere."

jakkom, I've heard that too. Perhaps like me you remember that the same commentators who've made observations like this over the past 6 months, seem to have made similar comments as to fire risk during drought years because the grass/weeds/underbrush had become tinder dry. I'm not sure which is right, is risk higher after dry winters or after wet ones? Or are the talking heads simply disconnected talking heads looking for something to say?

An article I read this morning said that while the cause of so many fires at once was still under investigation, some experts are thinking that the cause could have been downed power lines or falling trees that brought down power lines as a result of the very high winds. You may recall the same thing happened a few years ago in the San Diego area. That fire was spread by Santa Ana wind conditions and while that term isn't used in the Bay Area, the high wind conditions were similar and the results have been the same. High winds can cause fire storms, spreading fires quickly and uncontrollably to areas both adjacent to and at some distance from burning natural/undeveloped hillsides.

>>similar comments as to fire risk during drought years because the grass/weeds/underbrush had become tinder dry. I'm not sure which is right, is risk higher after dry winters or after wet ones? - Elmer F.>>

As far as I know it's held that the risk is slightly higher after wet winters because it encourages new green growth in the hills that simply dies when summer comes and the rains stop. In a Mediterranean climate native plants go mostly dormant in summer. The other six Mediterranean regions of the world share our pattern of wet winters and dry, high fire danger summers.

One of the comments my niece made when she visited us for the first time, in a July or August, was "Wow, I thought CA was green all the time! How come everything's brown and dried up?" Being from Chicago, everything IS green in the summer, LOL, so she was puzzled by endless hills with nothing but dead grass and a few scattered stands of evergreen bushes/trees.

The danger in dry winters is not so much an occasional dry year, but when there's an entire succession of them as there has been during our last drought. It stresses the evergreens and makes them very vulnerable to bark borer beetles (there's a variety of different ones).

Thus, photos of the Sierras around Tahoe and Hwy 80 show a terrifying number of dead trees after 7 yrs of drought. When a fire starts up there - which is inevitable, it's part of the ecosystem - it may well dwarf anything we've seen in the Wine Country. There is simply no way for CalFire to fight a major firestorm when it's inside impassible canyons and chasms. All they can do is pick defensible spots and try to hold them to minimize loss of life and structural damage.

Getting back to the Wine Country fires, SF Chronicle had this photo on a slideshow today, by Paul Chan/Chronicle:

Hmm. I find both descriptions plausible but being contradictory, it can't be both. I think the commentators who make these comments don't really know. I do understand the nature of the Med climate and brown hills we have for >half the year, I've been here all my life.

I've heard experts say that fire and tree disease/deaths are part of the normal ebb and flow of forested and undeveloped areas with native vegetation. Some of these experts argue that fires in remote locations (away from developed areas) and in national forests should be allowed to burn to some extent because the forested areas benefit from it.

Some native plants and others are fire resistant and suitable for planting around structures but that does nothing for fires in the undeveloped areas nor fires driven by high winds.

Who knows? I'd like these fires to be contained ASAP with no further significant losses of life or property.

Elmer -- Thanks for the 'positioning' information.

Friends sold their custom built retirement home in Prescott, Arizona after a firestorm tore through their piney neighborhood. Any trees not already infested with bark beetles became prey to the beetles after the fire. Whole hillsides were burned or ready to burn 'next time'.

>>I do understand the nature of the Med climate and brown hills we have for >half the year, I've been here all my life.>>

Yes, I understand you are familiar with CA weather But many on the forum are not, so I expanded my post so it clarified our unique regional conditions.

For those who aren't familiar with CA RE development: Suburban development stresses the ecosystem. The tremendous rise in retirees in the Sierra foothills (the Reno/Lake Tahoe area), for example. mimics the growth in the city of Santa Rosa. Areas that were once uninhabited, or with only a few homes, have become tract developments that meet up with still-rural land.

Instead of lonely acreage with some scattered stands of scrub brush, you have blocks of homes with landscaped yards including trees that would not normally be there. Unfortunately, in high fire conditions, homes serve as excellent fuel.

Except for those living near farmland or plains, it's common throughout the US (and Europe, for that matter) for built-up and suburban residential areas to abut woods and forests or even be built in them. That describes much of the South, the East, and many parts of the Midwest, most certainly the upper Midwest. The difference here is that the hot, mostly rain-less summers throughout the West and the dry vegetation adapted to it make the area more prone to fires and so too for houses in such locations.

To suggest that population growth plays any part is silly, in my view. It's not the case. Be reasonable. I don't know why so many have a "now that I'm here, close the gate and bar newcomers" attitude. If you want more open space, why not knock down your house and create a park for your neighbors?