Fire Updates: 3 More Wineries Lost, Atlas, Tubbs Fires More Contained

Wine country fires enter sixth day

According to the latest updates from Cal Fire, the death toll in the North Bay Fires has risen to 31, with 3,500 homes and other structures destroyed. The Tubbs Fire in Sonoma and Napa Counties stands at 34,770 acres large, roughly the same size as yesterday, and is now 25 percent contained, up from 10 percent yesterday. The Atlas Fire in Napa and Solano Counties now spans 48,228 acres, up from just about 5,000 acres yesterday, but is now 27 percent contained, an improvement over just 3 percent yesterday. Meanwhile, other fires that combined and are being referred to as the Nuns Fire are burning north and west of Glen Ellen, and now cover a 44,381 acre swathe that’s just 5 percent contained.

More wineries destroyed

Three additional wineries have been essentially destroyed according to the Mercury News: Paras Vineyard and Roy Estate in Napa, which were extensively damaged, and Backbone Vineyard & Winery, which lost its winery and inventory in Redwood Valley. Here’s a complete list of restaurants, wineries, and other industry businesses affected by the fires. If you know of an update we missed, send us a tip, Facebook message or tweet.

Gallo pledges major donations

E. & J. Gallo Winery, the largest of California’s wine exporters, has pledged to donate $1 million to fire relief efforts. Gallo is headquartered in Modesto, but counts significant holdings in Napa and Sonoma counties. The company will also match employee contributions two-to-one. Funds will be distributed among three organizations: The Community Foundation of Sonoma, the Napa Valley Community Foundation, and the The American Red Cross California Wildfires Relief Fund.

Some locals score at the Great American Beer Fest

In celebrations placed on emotional hold from this past weekend amid the North Bay fires, a number of Bay Area breweries took high honors at the prestigious Great American Beer Festival. Headlands in Mill Valley took silver for an offering in the American-Style Strong Pale Ale category with their beer Wolf Back Ridge. The belle of the ball locally could be Danville Brewing Co., which is also a debutant that’s only about a year old. Danville took bronze in the second most competitive category at the competition, the Imperial IPA slot, with its Chux DIPA. SFGate has a breakdown of all the local winners.