Oct 11, 2008 9:47 pm US/Pacific
Napa Valley Wildfire Ignited By Spark From Car
ST. HELENA (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―
A fast-growing wildfire that threatened homes and wineries in the Napa Valley was apparently sparked by a car that went off a local roadway, fire officials said Saturday evening.
The blaze had burned about 300 acres in the rugged hills near the wine country town of St. Helena in Napa County. It was about 80 percent contained, with full containment expected Sunday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The fire appeared to have started around 4:50 p.m. Friday when a car went off the roadway in the area of Deer Park and Sanitarium roads and sent a spark into nearby brush, Cal Fire spokeswoman Veronica Zanders said.
More than 1,500 firefighters were working to contain the blaze, which destroyed one home and one out building and threatened about 200 homes and several wineries, according to Cal Fire.
Additional resources, including strike teams from the San Francisco and Santa Clara County fire departments, were called in Saturday.
Two minor injuries had been reported so far, Zanders said.
About 100 residents were evacuated from their homes Friday night, and an evacuation center was set up at St. Helena High School — but the evacuation orders have since been lifted, Zanders said.
Cooler temperatures and higher humidity were helping firefighters in their battle, but fire officials feared stronger winds could pick up and complicate efforts to contain the blaze.
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