WATCH: Photos, Videos Show 200-Acre Wildfire In Napa County, California
Multiple fires triggered by strong winds were burning out of control in Napa and Sonoma counties, located in Wine Country in Northern California, early Monday morning. This prompted evacuations in nearby neighborhoods amid firefighters' struggles over stopping the spread of fire, San Francisco Chronicle reported.
In Napa County, the fire swelled more than 200 acres on Atlas Peak near the Silverado Country Club. The Atlas Peak fire was the largest of several wildfires burning in the Wine Country, reports said. The Wine Country is known worldwide as a premium wine-growing region.
Mandatory evacuations have been reported in areas such as Patrick Road in Napa County, North Bay for Porter Creek, Petrified Forest, Franz Valley and Mountain Home Ranch Road, ABC7 News reported.
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection tweeted: "Firefighters are battling a 200-acre fire off of Altas Peak Rd, south of Lake Berryessa (Napa County)."
Several journalists and social media users posted photographs and videos of the California fires on Twitter. Heather Holmes, a journalist working with KTVU, tweeted a photograph showing a burning structure.
Elissa Harrington, a reporter working with ABC7, tweeted photograph of fire raging on AtlasPeak.
The people, who were the first ones to get evacuated from Atlas Peak, started arriving at CrossWalk Community Church evacuation center before midnight Sunday. About 20 people reached the center after midnight and relatives of all those residing in the area also came, along with a representative from the American Red Cross, The Weekly Calistogan reported.
Law enforcement had also attempted to provide door-to-door evacuation facility in Atlas Peak, but fallen trees and flames blocked their efforts, the publication reported, citing officials.
Alejandra Alfonzo and her other family members were evacuated from the Silverado Resort and Spa just after they reached the place following visits to nearby wineries. "We were trying to get to the room and the fire was very close," Alfonzo told the publication. "Everyone was leaving; the hotel was already empty. Half the staff was gone when we arrived."
Alfonzo explained how she and her family had to leave behind their luggage and escape the resort in their van as the flames had come very close to their place of living. "Our IDs are still there; I don’t know how we’ll fly back if the hotel burns," she said. She also added that power at the resort had gone off while they were staying there.
While escaping, the Alfonzos also helped another tourist DeLanoy and her boyfriend, who had come from Las Vegas, by driving them to the evacuation center. DeLanoy said she and her boyfriend were staying in an Airbnb rental on Westgate Drive near Atlas Peak Road. "My boyfriend went walking just for fun," DeLanoy said, "and I got a text message saying, ‘Get out of there now. Look out the back door. There’s a fire.' And I saw the place next door torching up. I left with my medicines and his backpack."
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