On the night of Sunday, October 8, Northern California Wine Country was hit with a dangerous “perfect storm” of atmospheric conditions combining: warm temperatures, extremely low humidity, bone-dry fields and forests, and very strong winds. Beginning at 9:52 pm, 17 wildfires sprung up throughout the wine country counties of Napa, Sonoma, Lake, and Mendocino counties. These were considered wildland urban interface fires, meaning forest fires within close proximity to human habitation and businesses. And these fires were big and fast-moving, among the worst in California’s history. The result was a tragic toll on some communities, notably in Santa Rosa in Sonoma County. Some people lost their lives, many were evacuated, and some people are still displaced.
FOR THE REGISTER
Napa Valley Community Foundationâs Board of Directors has approved nearly $2.2 million in new wildfire grants. The largest grants, up to $2 million in total, will help last yearâs wildfire survivors with continued rebuilding and long-term recovery. Two grants totaling $175,000 were approved for the Napa Communities Firewise Foundation (NCFF). The grants will enable the organization to hire its first paid staff, including its first executive director, at an opportune moment: NCFF is slated to receive and spend at least $35 million over the next five years for county-wide fuel mitigations projects including shaded fire breaks, focus on safe egress and ingress routes, and other projects.