(Wine Spectator) - As Mendocino Complex fires spread to Lake County, vintners are on high alert
The skies are yet again tinged with smoke over Northern California. The Mendocino Complex fires, which started July 27, have spread to more than 153,000 acres, destroying more than 40 residences and threatening local vineyards and wineries. Just 50 miles away, smoke hangs in the air over Napa and Sonoma counties, an acrid reminder of the deadly wildfires that swept through the region less than a year ago.
Fire season is already in full swing, and California is off to its worst start in nearly a decade, with 3,770 fires this year, according to Cal Fire, the state’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. At this time last year the state had seen 3,440 fires.
“The fires have started earlier this year,” Cal Fire deputy chief Scott McLean told Wine Spectator. He attributes the fire risk to California’s six-year drought. While rains brought relief in the winter of 2016–'17, there is still plenty of dried vegetation lying on the ground that can act as fuel. “There are 129 million dead trees in the state due to the [drought] conditions we went through and bark beetles,” he said.