California’s world-famous wine country is bracing for more dangerous wildfire weather conditions Thursday while its communities reel from the Glass fire’s already devastating damage.
The Glass fire in Napa and Sonoma counties has ravaged more than 56,781 acres so far and remains just 5% contained. More than 240 structures have been completely destroyed ― including homes, schools and wineries ― and another 140 have sustained damages.
Cal Fire Battalion Chief Mark Brunton said in an update Thursday morning he was “cautiously optimistic” that fire control lines would stop the blaze from moving into some communities, but dangerous weather conditions ― high heat, strong winds and low humidity ― mean the “spread of fire is almost imminent.”
That fire-friendly weather is expected to pick up Thursday afternoon and last for a day and a half.
“It’s going to be a big firefight for us for the next 36 hours,” Brunton said, noting Cal Fire had several firefighting squads in from out of state and the National Guard there to help.
Some of the region’s beloved landmarks that employ huge swaths of the community are among the devastation, including St. Helena’s Meadowood resort and Calistoga’s Castello di Amorosa winery. One of the worst-hit residential areas is Deer Park, a community nestled in the northeast hills of St. Helena.
The air throughout Napa Valley remains choked with smoke, inflicting dangerous air quality on people near the blazes and far into other parts of Northern California.
See photos below of the devastation the Glass fire has already inflicted.
