{"id":2450593,"date":"2019-10-31T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-10-31T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=315298"},"modified":"2019-10-31T14:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-10-31T20:00:00","slug":"a-fiery-event-sonomas-kincade-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/a-fiery-event-sonomas-kincade-fire\/","title":{"rendered":"A Fiery Event: Sonoma\u2019s Kincade Fire"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.8902953586498\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-315298-387\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/10\/wineink-atd-103119-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/10\/wineink-atd-103119-1-1024x596.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"AP | The Press Democrat | Photographers documenting the Kincade Fire run as the fire approaches the road, Oct. 24, 2019, in Sonoma County, Calif. (Kent Porter\/The Press Democrat via AP)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"12\">\n<p><strong>Photographers documenting the Kincade Fire run as the fire approaches the road, Oct. 24, 2019, in Sonoma County, Calif. (Kent Porter\/The Press Democrat via AP)<\/strong><br \/>AP | The Press Democrat<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/10\/wineink-atd-103119-1-1024x596.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Photographers documenting the Kincade Fire run as the fire approaches the road, Oct. 24, 2019, in Sonoma County, Calif. (Kent Porter\/The Press Democrat via AP)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/10\/wineink-atd-103119-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/10\/wineink-atd-103119-1-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"AP | FR34727 AP | Stephanie LaFranchi, right, and Ashley LaFranchi examine the remains of their family's Oak Ridge Angus ranch, leveled by a wildfire called Kincade Fire, in Calistoga, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 28, 2019. According to Cal Fire, the blaze has scorched more than 66,000 acres and destroyed at least 96 structures. (AP Photo\/Noah Berger)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"4.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"20\">\n<p><strong>Stephanie LaFranchi, right, and Ashley LaFranchi examine the remains of their family&#8217;s Oak Ridge Angus ranch, leveled by a wildfire called Kincade Fire, in Calistoga, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 28, 2019. According to Cal Fire, the blaze has scorched more than 66,000 acres and destroyed at least 96 structures. (AP Photo\/Noah Berger)<\/strong><br \/>AP | FR34727 AP<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/10\/wineink-atd-103119-1-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Stephanie LaFranchi, right, and Ashley LaFranchi examine the remains of their family's Oak Ridge Angus ranch, leveled by a wildfire called Kincade Fire, in Calistoga, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 28, 2019. According to Cal Fire, the blaze has scorched more than 66,000 acres and destroyed at least 96 structures. (AP Photo\/Noah Berger)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/10\/wineink-atd-103119-1-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/10\/wineink-atd-103119-1-2-1024x724.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"AP | AP | Firefighters from San Matteo work to extinguish flames from the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County, Calif., Oct. 27, 2019. (AP Photo\/Ethan Swope)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"11\">\n<p><strong>Firefighters from San Matteo work to extinguish flames from the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County, Calif., Oct. 27, 2019. (AP Photo\/Ethan Swope)<\/strong><br \/>AP | AP<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/10\/wineink-atd-103119-1-2-1024x724.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Firefighters from San Matteo work to extinguish flames from the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County, Calif., Oct. 27, 2019. (AP Photo\/Ethan Swope)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/10\/wineink-atd-103119-1-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/10\/wineink-atd-103119-1-3-1024x683.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"AP | FR34727 AP | Embers fly across a roadway as the Kincade Fire burns through the Jimtown community of Sonoma County, Calif., Oct. 24, 2019. (AP Photo\/Noah Berger)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"11\">\n<p><strong>Embers fly across a roadway as the Kincade Fire burns through the Jimtown community of Sonoma County, Calif., Oct. 24, 2019. (AP Photo\/Noah Berger)<\/strong><br \/>AP | FR34727 AP<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/10\/wineink-atd-103119-1-3-1024x683.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Embers fly across a roadway as the Kincade Fire burns through the Jimtown community of Sonoma County, Calif., Oct. 24, 2019. (AP Photo\/Noah Berger)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/10\/wineink-atd-103119-1-4-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/10\/wineink-atd-103119-1-4-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"AP | Napa County Sheriff's Office | ADDS NAME AND LOCATION OF OIL STORAGE FACILITY In this image from video provided by the Napa County Sheriff's Office, tanks are on fire at an oil storage facility Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019, viewed from Rodeo, Calif. A fire burning at NuStar Energy LP facility in Crockett, Calif, in the San Francisco Bay Area prompted a hazardous materials emergency that led authorities to order the residents of two communities, Crockett and Rodeo, Calif., to shelter in place and stay inside with all windows and doors closed. Contra Costa Fire Department spokesman Steve Hill said that an hour into battling the blaze, firefighters seemed to be making progress and were continuing to keep adjacent tanks cooled with water. (Henry Wofford\/Napa County Sheriff's Office via AP)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"21\">\n<p><strong>ADDS NAME AND LOCATION OF OIL STORAGE FACILITY In this image from video provided by the Napa County Sheriff&#8217;s Office, tanks are on fire at an oil storage facility Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019, viewed from Rodeo, Calif. A fire burning at NuStar Energy LP facility in Crockett, Calif, in the San Francisco Bay Area prompted a hazardous materials emergency that led authorities to order the residents of two communities, Crockett and Rodeo, Calif., to shelter in place and stay inside with all windows and doors closed. Contra Costa Fire Department spokesman Steve Hill said that an hour into battling the blaze, firefighters seemed to be making progress and were continuing to keep adjacent tanks cooled with water. (Henry Wofford\/Napa County Sheriff&#8217;s Office via AP)<\/strong><br \/>AP | Napa County Sheriff&#8217;s Office<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/10\/wineink-atd-103119-1-4-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"ADDS NAME AND LOCATION OF OIL STORAGE FACILITY In this image from video provided by the Napa County Sheriff's Office, tanks are on fire at an oil storage facility Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019, viewed from Rodeo, Calif. A fire burning at NuStar Energy LP facility in Crockett, Calif, in the San Francisco Bay Area prompted a hazardous materials emergency that led authorities to order the residents of two communities, Crockett and Rodeo, Calif., to shelter in place and stay inside with all windows and doors closed. Contra Costa Fire Department spokesman Steve Hill said that an hour into battling the blaze, firefighters seemed to be making progress and were continuing to keep adjacent tanks cooled with water. (Henry Wofford\/Napa County Sheriff's Office via AP)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/10\/wineink-atd-103119-1-5-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/10\/wineink-atd-103119-1-5-290x1024.jpg\" data-sub-html=\" | \" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/10\/wineink-atd-103119-1-5-290x1024.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/magazines\/aspen-times-weekly\/a-fiery-eventdek-sonomas-kincade-fire\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/magazines\/aspen-times-weekly\/a-fiery-eventdek-sonomas-kincade-fire\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">As I write this, the warnings are out in wine country once again.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">They call them \u201cred flag\u201d warnings and they are issued by the National Weather Service when conditions for dry brush, low humidity and high winds combine to produce conditions susceptible to fire outbreaks. It used to be they were designed to warn people in affected areas to curtail burns, not to smoke cigarettes outside and to be diligent in extinguishing their charcoal grills.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">But now, in the \u201cnew reality\u201d in wine country, it means \u201cget ready for the power to be turned off and have your bags packed for evacuation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">As you read this, more history of the Kincade Fire in California\u2019s Sonoma County wine country will have already been written. But as of now, Tuesday morning Oct. 29, 2019, the fire has torched over 75,000 acres (twice the size of the city of San Francisco) destroyed or damaged at least three wineries, burned 123 structures and forced the evacuation of over 190,000 people, including the entire wine towns of Healdsburg and Windsor. It has disrupted lives, businesses, schools and yes, the 2019 wine harvest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">The fire began over a week ago under a waning crescent moon where John Kincade Road and Burned Mountain Road cross in the hills above Geyserville, California. Fires are generally named for their point of origin and I guess Burned Mountain was too ironic to get the designation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">On the night of ignition, a significant wind event was already in progress and Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&amp;E) had \u201cshut down\u201d power to thousands of homes in the area \u2014 an effort to prevent fires. But near Kincade and Burned Mountain a 230,000-volt transmission line remained active, as it did not meet the criteria that PG&amp;E had in place for it to be \u201cde-energized,\u201d according to PG&amp;E\u2019s CEO and President Bill Johnson. In a news conference, the utility announced that the line in question had a malfunction at 9:20 p.m. on Oct. 23. Seven minutes later, calls reporting the fire began to come in. While there has yet to be a cause determined for the Kincade Fire, there is enough evidence, based on the origins of last year\u2019s devastating Camp Fire, to know that Northern California\u2019s power grid is a dangerous thing when a red flag alert is in place.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Kincade\u2019s main area of impact has been in the northern corner of the Alexander Valley AVA. This is cabernet sauvignon country. If you have driven through the area on the two lane Highway 128, you know just how achingly beautiful it is. The rows of vines, the oaks, the wineries and the powerful Mayacamas Mountains rising above make it one of the most bucolic wine regions in all of California. The valley and the surrounding slopes are home to iconic producers like Silver Oak Alexander Valley (their newest solar powered winery was <a id=\"N0x2548530N0x25fa880:N0x2548530N0x2530c60\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/magazines\/aspen-times-weekly\/a-greener-daysub-american-wineries-embrace-change\/\">profiled in this space<\/a> earlier this year), Jordan, Hanna, Stonestreet, Robert Young Vineyards and Alexander Valley Vineyards.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Thus far, the Soda Rock Winery has officially been destroyed by the fires and there was damage to the barn and winery at The Spire Collection at Field Stone Vineyard in Alexander Valley, as well as at Alexander Valley Vineyards.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Soda Rock, whose 1860s-era building had been lovingly restored by owner Ken Wilson and his family over the last decade, is a well-known landmark on route 128. Field Stone has roots dating to the 1870\u2019s. It was purchased by Jackson Family Wines in 2016 and is a part of their Spire Collection.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">But beyond the actual, visual destruction, the fires in wine country leave behind other damage. The fire season coincides with harvest season, which means that there is major disruption at the one time of year that is most important for a farmer. Couple that with the power outages, and the process of cooling and fermenting wines become much more problematic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Then there is the threat of smoke taint. Grapes still on the vine can ingest the properties of smoke and be impacted by nasty chemicals that can render them useless for fine wines. Fortunately, over 80% of this year\u2019s grapes have already been harvested in the region, but it is a concern for winemakers globally as conditions for fires become more intense with global warming.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">And remember, the wine business is also reliant on tourism. As ski resorts are damaged by reports of bad snow years, so too are wine concerns affected by fire news. Having people stay away because of weather and fire is a very real concern for many wineries\u2019 bottom lines, especially family-owned wineries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">And finally, there is the psychic shock that affects everyone in the region during and after a fire catastrophe. I know, as I lost a home in a California wildfire when I was in my teens. The loss of the past, and the time, money and effort it takes to rebuild can take a toll that lingers for years. My heart goes out to those affected by the Kincade Fire and all of the current California fires.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Let\u2019s hope the wind stops blowing.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/magazines\/aspen-times-weekly\/a-fiery-eventdek-sonomas-kincade-fire\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Photographers documenting the Kincade Fire run as the fire approaches the road, Oct. 24, 2019, in Sonoma County, Calif. (Kent Porter\/The Press Democrat via AP)AP | The Press Democrat Stephanie LaFranchi, right, and Ashley LaFranchi examine the remains of their family&#8217;s Oak Ridge Angus ranch, leveled by a wildfire called Kincade Fire, in Calistoga, Calif., [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2450593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-19 10:23:58","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2450593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2450593"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2450593\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2450593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2450593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2450593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}