(ETH) – Fierce and fast-moving fires caused by lightning storms are sweeping across the Bay Area of California and elsewhere in Northern California and the fires have exploded overnight, burning homes and causing thousands to flee.
According to the latest reports, The most recent fires stretched from the wine country to the Santa Cruz Mountains, moving at dangerous speed amid an intense heatwave that also has produced rolling blackouts in the cities.
Smoke from the fires has also reportedly caused poor air quality across the region. According to Yahoo News, “Officials have ordered the evacuation of the western edge of Vacaville — a city of 100,000 residents about halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento — in the area of Alamo Drive north of Interstate 5 and west of North Orchard Avenue, according to a Facebook post by Vacaville police.
The Vacaville Fire District also ordered evacuations of Pleasants Valley Road, which lies west of the city, and the English Hills area north of the city.” Sadly one piece of history is in the crosshairs of these vicious fires, The Nichelini Family Winery which was built in 1890 and has withstood the test of time — the Great Depression, Prohibition, droughts, floods, and vineyard pests.
The Associated Press displayed a photo recently showing a cabin on the winery’s compound of buildings engulfed in flames but remarkably a social media post showed the main winery still standing.
Police and firefighters are going door-to-door in a frantic scramble to warn local residents to evacuate as the fire encroached on Vacaville,
The 130-year-old Nichelini Family Winery is fighting to survive the #HennesseyFire. https://t.co/Z9w0AVzeFN @mercnews pic.twitter.com/SaVEOgSbZQ
— Karl Mondon (@karlmondon) August 18, 2020
which has a population of about 100,000 between San Francisco and Sacramento. According to the AP, At least 50 structures were destroyed and 50 were damaged and that four people were injured and the fires have blanketed San Francisco with smoke.
