Dozens of wineries and vineyards dot the rural Dry Creek Valley just south of the fire.|
JENNIFER GRAUE
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Guests enjoying an afternoon of wine tasting at Capo Creek Winery on West Dry Creek Road were forced to flee after the wind-driven Point Fire broke out Sunday afternoon in the heart of one of Sonoma County’s most iconic wine regions.
Capo Creek Winery owner Mary Roy said she started smelling smoke and getting notifications of the fire on the Watch Duty app.
Roy was hosting about nine customers for a food and wine pairing at her 48-acre property, located between Mountain View Ranch Road and Stang Road, when sheriff deputies drove by with blaring sirens.
The winery owner told her customers it was time to go, noting that the guests were from out of town and some of them had arrived by Uber.
“I was trying to stay pretty calm,” said Roy in a phone call from Petaluma where she evacuated shortly before 6 p.m. with her dog. “I told them ‘You need to call the driver now.’ I tried to be firm but not scare the s — out of them.”
After Roy sent her employees home she also left and watched the fire’s progress for a while from Dry Creek Road, knowing that it was getting dangerously close to her property.
“The winds are so bad. The way it was whipping and spreading. I wish I was seeing more airplanes, but I’m not a firefighter. I know they’re doing their best,” she said, adding that she was taking no chances. “If you live in Dry Creek Valley get out of there right away because you can get trapped in there.”
About three miles closer to Healdsburg along the winding, narrow two-lane West Dry Creek Road, Dry Creek Vineyard is on the edge of the evacuation zone just east on Lambert Bridge Road.
Tim Bell, the director of winemaking, said just after 6:30 p.m. Sunday that the winery’s maintenance crew was watering down the perimeter of the property and keeping an eye on things until an evacuation order comes, if it does.
Although their stance now is just to watch and wait, Bell said winery employees’ “safety is paramount,” and that it’s a very anxious time for everyone.
Wineries in the evacuation zone
The Point Fire was first reported at about 12:50 p.m. Sunday off Stewarts Point-Skaggs Springs Road near Marina Road. Dozens of wineries and vineyards dot the rural Dry Creek Valley landscape just south of the fire.
Evacuation orders, the first one issued at 3:02 p.m., covered rural homes and wineries northwest of Healdsburg along West Dry Creek Road, north of Stang Road.
Wineries in the evacuation zone include Healdsburg’s Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery, Bella Vineyards & Wine Caves, Raymond Burr Vineyards, Capo Creek Winery, Martorana Family Winery, Michel-Schlumberger Wine Estate, Quivira Vineyards, Mounts Family Winery, A Rafanelli Winery, and Geyserville’s Dutcher Crossing Winery.
Many wineries surround the evacuation zone, including Dry Creek Vineyard, Lambert Bridge Winery, Amista Vineyards, Papapietro Perry Winery, Reeve Wines, Kokomo Winery, Chateau Diana, Williamson Wines, Aesthete Wines, Talty Vineyards, Guadagni Family Wines, Trattore Farms and Winery and Sbragia Family Vineyards.
In and around the evacuation zone are also dozens of prized vineyards that supply grapes for the area’s wineries.
Flames from the Point Fire surrounds a home on Brown Rd just south of Lake Sonoma and north of HealdsburgThe wind-driven fire on the the western rim of Sonoma County’s famed Dry Creek Valley has spurred evacuation orders affecting at least 430 people, with more than 4,000 under evacuation warnings, meaning they should be prepared to leave. (Beth Schlanker/The Press Democrat) For latest updates see: https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/fire-lake-sonoma/
Posted by Press Democrat on Sunday, June 16, 2024
A rapidly growing fire
The fire grew quickly amid afternoon heat and gusts of at least 28 mph. By 4:30 p.m. Sunday, some fire crews had switched to defending structures that were threatened along West Dry Creek Road, a winding north-south road that runs parallel to Dry Creek Road, which serves many of the wineries in the Dry Creek Valley.
By 6:30 p.m., the fire had consumed 550 acres as it roared down Bradford Mountain. By 10 p.m., the size of the blaze was over 1,000 acres, with 15% containment, according to Cal Fire.
By Sunday evening, more than 400 people had been evacuated, and 4,000 were under an evacuation warning.
By early Monday, the Point Fire was 20% contained and remained at 1,100 acres.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
You can reach Staff Writer Jennifer Graue at 707-521-5262 or jennifer.graue@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @JenInOz.
