Photo by: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Signorello Estate Winery in the aftermath of the blaze

UPDATED Oct. 10 at 1:30 p.m. PST: California authorities report at least 15 fatalities in the wildfires.

UPDATED Oct. 10 at 11:00 a.m. PST: The owners of Frey Vineyards in Mendocino report that their winery was destroyed, but that they are safe. The Mendocino fire grew another 3,000 acres, totaling 21,000.

Multiple wildfires spread across large portions of Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties Sunday night continuing through Tuesday morning, forcing thousands from their homes, burning hundreds of structures and scorching tens of thousands of acres. Signorello Estate Winery, Frey Vineyards and Paradise Ridge Winery were destroyed, portions of Stags' Leap Winery were burned and several more wineries are reportedly threatened.

The three largest blazes are situated in Napa Valley’s eastern hills, near Atlas Peak; in the northern part of Sonoma’s city of Santa Rosa, and in Mendocino County's Redwood Valley. But the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention (Cal Fire), the state fire agency, reports that, as of Tuesday mid-day, there are 19 large fires, including smaller blazes in Calistoga, Glen Ellen and Carneros, as well as in surrounding counties.

The fires ignited on Sunday night, stoked by high temperatures, dry conditions and gusting winds that have reached 50 to 70 mph in some areas. By Tuesday morning, more than 116,000 acres in 11 counties had been burned, Cal Fire reported. According to California emergency officials, 15 fatalities have been confirmed: nine in Sonoma County, two in Napa County, three in Mendocino County and one in Yuba County.

"We need every resident to heed evacuation warnings and orders and move out quickly," said Cal Fire director Ken Pimlott at a press conference on Monday. Firefighter teams are struggling to contain the fires, which show no sign of ending amid high winds and hot and dry weather. The California National Guard has sent medical evacuation helicopters, firefighting helicopters and military police to assist local law enforcement.

On Tuesday, Daniel Berlant, assistant deputy director for Cal Fire, said that an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 buildings—including homes, commercial buildings and barns, had burned so far.

Ben Fetzer

In Mendocino County, the Redwood /Potter fire has spread to 21,000 acres and killed at least three people.

In Napa Valley, the Atlas Fire has now burned 25,000 acres, according to Cal Fire, from the Stags Leap area to the northern limits of the city of Napa itself, prompting mass evacuations on the eastern side of the valley. Signorello Estate Winery was destroyed, with dozens of other wineries and vineyards threatened, including Chimney Rock and Darioush. Some buildings at Stags' Leap Winery were destroyed. While numerous media reports showed a photo of damage to the William Hill Estate sign, the winery has since confirmed that its buildings are intact and it has sustained only minor landscaping and vineyard damage.

Hundreds of guests were evacuated from the Silverado Resort as flames approached the buildings; the resort remains closed. California Highway Patrol had to airlift two dozen workers off of Atlas Peak late Sunday night, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

“I’ve been up all night; we were harvesting and had to evacuate,” said Elizabeth Vianna, Chimney Rock winemaker and general manager, when reached by phone Monday morning. “The fire came very close to our vineyards before evacuation, but I think the winery is OK.”

The Tubbs fire, which began near Calistoga in northern Napa Valley, exploded from 200 acres to nearly 20,000 acres in a matter of hours, moving into Sonoma County, where it damaged vineyards in the Fountaingrove District area, Sonoma’s newest appellation. (As of late Monday night, Cal Fire reported that it had reached 27,000 acres.)

"We escaped at the last minute through the flames," said Anthony Perliss of Perliss Estates in Calistoga. "The winds and flames were intense—I was trying to put it out with a garden hose. I saw the garden go up in flames. Not sure if the vineyard or homes survived."

Soon the flames spread into the northern neighborhoods of the city of Santa Rosa. The blaze moved quickly and jumped Highway 101, the major artery through the county, burning businesses, high schools and homes. The Hilton Sonoma Wine Country hotel and Paradise Ridge Winery were just two of dozens of businesses burned. (Earlier reports from local sources that the iconic Vintners Inn, which was evacuated, and John Ash & Co. restaurant were destroyed are incorrect.) Sutter and Kaiser Hospitals were forced to evacuate patients as the fire approached.

Paradise Ridge

Paradise Ridge Winery was among those destroyed.

The Nuns fire burned in the Glen Ellen, Sonoma Valley and Bennett Valley areas and had grown to 5,000 acres as of noon Monday. It had merged with another fire that had been burning in the hills around Glen Ellen. Both blazes threatened numerous wineries there. Early local media reports said that Chateau St. Jean was in danger, but a spokesperson could not confirm its status. Marcia Mickelson Kunde of Kunde reported, "The southern part of the ranch was burning last night but we were able to get it to stop on its way to the rest of the ranch and winery. Glen Ellen and Kenwood are just decimated."

Farther south, yet another fire was raging in Carneros. Nicholson Ranch Winery was threatened, but contrary to some media reports that it burned, its Facebook page reports that the winery escaped being engulfed by the flames and the cellared wine appears safe; power is still out and they are evaluating the extent of the damage.

Up north, more fires blazed in Mendocino, burning 21,000 acres by Tuesday morning. Nathan Frey of Frey Vineyards reports that his family's winery is gone. "Our winery has burned down, and most of the family homes, though our warehouse is intact," he said. "The homes of many friends and neighbors also burned, and our heart goes out to all of them."

Jake Fetzer of Masút in Redwood Valley only recently built a winery in the Eagle Peak appellation overlooking the valley. "It's been devastating in Redwood Valley," he said. "We were told to evacuate in Eagle Peak, but stayed to help with our dozers and water truck. Unfortunately, many of our friends lost everything."

Ben Fetzer

Staff at Ben and Jake Fetzer's Masút winery in Eagle Peak tried to battle the flames.

Winemakers across the region struggled to check on their wineries while smoke engulfed the North Bay. In Napa and Mendocino, harvest is in full swing, while in Sonoma, growers are still wrapping up. “It has been a devastating fire," said Karissa Kruse, president of Sonoma County Winegrowers. "At this time, we are still assessing the specific damage to Sonoma County vineyards as well as to our communities and neighbors. While 90 percent of the winegrapes have been harvested, there were still grapes in the vineyards that were scheduled to be picked in the next ten days.” Mendocino WineGrowers Inc. executive director Bernadette Bryne said most of the county's white grapes are in but estimates that only 50 percent of Mendocino’s red grapes have been picked.

Beyond the threat of damage to wineries and vineyards, most roads are closed, and air quality warnings are in effect. Electricity and cellular service are down in many areas. “I am up in Calistoga right now. We have partial power and I’m checking in on the fermentations,” said Daniel Petroski, winemaker at Larkmead Vineyards on Monday. In the wee hours of the morning, he stood on his front porch of his home in Yountville and watched blazing flames stretching across Stags Leap and Atlas Peak.

An estimated 20,000 people have already been displaced throughout the North Bay. California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Napa, Sonoma and Yuba counties Monday morning and extended it to Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Nevada and Orange Counties by evening. Winds had eased Tuesday, which may help firefighters bring the blazes under control. This report will be updated as further details come in.

Additional reporting contributed by James Laube, Kim Marcus, Augustus Weed, Tim Fish, MaryAnn Worobiec, Mitch Frank and Dana Nigro.

(http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/Massive-Wildfires-Devastate-Parts-of-Napa-and-Sonoma+County)