Crews Battle Blaze Threatening Sonoma County Vineyards

SACRAMENTO â€”  Firefighters continued to battle Sunday a wind-driven wildfire that burned more than 10,000 acres of brush and timber as it bore down on Sonoma County’s wine country and threatened to knock out power to parts of Northern California.

Another blaze had destroyed 13 homes in the Sierra foothills in Calaveras County as Californians dealt with extreme fire danger due to low humidity, high winds and tinderbox-dry grass, brush and trees.

The Sonoma County fire, which began Friday, had burned 10,100 acres and was only 10% contained by 9 a.m. Sunday, according to Janet Marshall, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Firefighters did not make much progress overnight in part because the air continued to be unusually dry, she said.

Winds, which were blowing steady about 20 mph Saturday, were blowing about 10 mph Sunday, but they had become more erratic, making containment difficult, she said.

No buildings were damaged, and firefighters were able to save more than a dozen geothermal energy towers, each of them worth $200 million, Marshall said.

More hot dry days and strong north winds are expected this week.

“I call them Northern California’s version of the Santa Ana winds in Southern California -- dry winds associated with low moisture in the air,� Marshall said. “This is when historically we see our large, damaging and deadly fires.�

The Sonoma County fire started late Friday afternoon near The Geysers, the world’s largest geothermal power facility, which harnesses steam from the earth to provide enough electricity to power 1 million homes in Sonoma, Napa, Lake, Marin and Mendocino counties.

The fire is burning in rugged terrain crossed by major power lines from the 21 generating plants in the facility, prompting the threat of blackouts. Two-thirds of the plants were shut down and two of three transmission lines were not being operated, said Kent Robertson, a spokesman for Calpine Corp., which owns most of the plants.

Another blaze, sparked by a burning motor home Friday, destroyed 13 homes in the Sierra foothills of Calaveras County and burned 2,676 acres by Sunday morning.

It also forced 3,000 people to evacuate and threatened 1,400 homes and 100 businesses in rural subdivisions.

About 1,400 firefighters and 81 engines responded to the fire, which was burning south of Camanche Reservoir. It was 85% contained Sunday morning, said Ben Hector, a forestry department spokesman. The forestry department estimated it would be fully contained by 8 p.m. Sunday.

Evacuees were allowed to return Saturday afternoon.

In Southern California, a 120-acre wildfire broke out near Elizabeth Lake west of Lancaster in northeastern Los Angeles County.

About 200 firefighters contained it within hours.