(Wine-Searcher) - The wine industry unites to ensure that worker accommodation doesn't disappear in the aftermath of October's blaze.

The Napa and Sonoma fire departments did an admirable job of evacuating and saving lives as the fires raged for a week this past October. Very few wineries were actually damaged thanks to their efforts, but the same can't be said for people's homes.

According to a study by the Cotati-based Wine Business Institute at Sonoma State University – based on a survey of more than 200 vineyard and winery stakeholders across Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Solano and Sonoma Counties – 93 percent of wineries were reported as unaffected by the fires in terms of structural damage or long-term impact. In fact, in many cases the vines often served as fire breaks.