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Wind gusts topping 80 mph created blowtorch-like conditions in Sonoma County along the massive Kincade Fire lines Sunday, fanning the out-of-control blaze into a wall of flames that approached the outskirts of Windsor and led to a new evacuation warning in neighboring Napa County.
The Kincade Fire is forcing temporary closure of most Sonoma County post offices, and postal officials have designated six pickup points in relatively unaffected areas as 15 post offices in more hazard-prone areas remain shuttered.
Thousands of evacuees from the Kincade Fire are flooding south into Marin County and are struggling to find shelter amid massive power shutoffs.
Fires erupted along Interstate 80 near Crockett Sunday, prompting evacuation notices for residents on both ends of the Carquinez Bridge, authorities said.
The Sonoma County sheriff announced Saturday that the towns of Healdsburg, Windsor and their unincorporated areas would be evacuated as flames from the expanding Kincade Fire driven by "Diablo winds" continued to advance.
The Santa Rosa City Schools district, largest in Sonoma County, has canceled all classes Monday due to dangerous weather and fire conditions, power shutoffs and nearby evacuations, officials said Saturday.
As the massive Kincade Fire -- now larger than the landmass of Manhattan -- continued its advance across California's Wine Country early Saturday, burning homes and charring more than 25,000 acres, a firefighters and the two civilians he saved were recovering from their burns.
Despite the advantage of calm winds most of the day Friday, crews made little headway in containing the destructive Kincade Fire in Sonoma County, which grew to 23,700 acres and remained at five percent containment.
The effort to control the remnants of the Kincade Fire, just ahead of the next wind event Saturday, is a situation one Sonoma County supervisor described as similar to being in the eye of a hurricane.
The Muir Fire, burning since Thursday near Slide Ranch between Stinson and Muir beaches, is fully contained and state Highway 1 has reopened, the Marin County Fire Department said.
The Muir Fire between Stinson and Muir beaches in Marin County is holding at 58 acres and 50 percent containment as of Friday morning, the Marin County Fire Department said.
Cal Fire reported Thursday evening that a total of 49 structures have burned in Sonoma County as the fast-moving Kincade Fire grew to about 16,000 acres with only 5 percent containment.
The forward progress of a wildfire that erupted late Thursday morning along the Marin County coastline in between Stinson Beach and Muir Beach has been stopped, according to authorities.
Christopher Bingham glanced outside his Northern California Wine County home early Thursday and couldn't believe his eyes -- a wall of fire was closing in on the house.
Firefighters were able to contain a vegetation fire in Trione-Annadel State Park in Santa Rosa at three acres burned Thursday, the Santa Rosa Fire Department said.
