Famed wineries in Sonoma County threatened by Kincade fire

HEALDSBURG, Calif. —  The out-of-control Kincade fire in Sonoma County was burning close to some famed wineries.

The fire, which has burned more than 10,000 acres, torched some structures along Red Winery Road.

The total number of structures that have burned was not clear.

--The Robert Young Estate Winery in Geyserville said in a tweet that the fire had reached its property, burning brush and pastures, but that all structures were intact as of 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

-- The Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Geyserville was closed Thursday due to the fire.”The winery is not currently in danger, but we’re without power and Geyserville is under evacuation orders,” the winery said in a tweet. “Our thoughts are with our Geyserville friends and neighbors, along with the fire crews working to keep us safe.”

-- Geyserville’s Trentadue Winery also announced it would close, citing the evacuations and poor air quality. “At this point there is no immediate threat to the winery and we will post updates on social media as we know more,” the winery said in a Facebook post.

-- Trione Vineyards and Winery, which also was closed Thursday, said in a Facebook post that “the winery is good” and all of its staffers are safe.”The vineyards make good fire breaks and all of the grapes are in (mostly),” the winery said. “We have heard that some homes are lost but no one has been hurt.”

Dwight Monson of Geyersville, who lives on the family ranch with his wife, son and brothers, said by the time they jumped in their cars and headed to the valley below, the flames were already at the far edge of their ranch. He thought a 1,000-acre Kendall Jackson vineyard adjacent to his ranch would stop the wildfire, but the fierce winds pushed embers miles ahead, allowing the flames to leapfrog through the famous wine country area.

Fire officials ordered all of Geyserville, a community with a population of 929, to evacuate after the fire crossed Highway 128 and continued moving west toward homes in the area.

Firefighters worked in consistently hot, dry and windy conditions through the night, which made it difficult for them to reach certain areas of the steep terrain being consumed by the fire, said Will Powers, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.