The image above comes from the Instagram of my dear friend Vino Girl who lives on the east side of Napa, just west of the Napa River. She and her family were evacuated yesterday at 4 a.m. She took the photo from her house. They’re back in their home now (thank goodness) as authorities are trying to assess the extent of the damage.
In an article updated late last night, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that “a swarm of fires supercharged by powerful winds ripped through Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties Monday, killing at least 10 people, injuring dozens of others, destroying more than 1,500 homes and businesses, and turning prominent wineries to ash.”
“Sonoma County officials received more than 100 reports of missing people as of Monday evening,” wrote the editors of the paper.
It’s been heartbreaking this morning to scroll through the #NapaFire thread on Instagram. Vino Girl’s post is just one of thousands of images that document the devastation.
Another dear friend and colleague, Elaine Brown, California contributor to JancisRobinson.com and senior editor for the Slow Wine Guide to the Wines of California, posted this dispatch yesterday morning on the Slow Wine blog (I’m the coordinating editor for the guide) and she posted this update on Jancis’ site late last night.
Elaine lives in Sonoma with her family and they evacuated voluntarily yesterday. They’re alright today (thank goodness).
One of the most stirring posts came from Carlo Mondavi’s Instagram.
“Wildlife and mankind are as one kind,” he wrote, “and we are all running for cover.”
As we follow the news reports today, our hearts, thoughts, and prayers go out to all of our sisters and brothers in Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties.
Do Bianchi 
I hope you’ll forgive me but in my opinion, prayers belong in houses of worship for those so inclined – all of us need to think hard about global warming, the political climate, our planet earth, and why and how all these things connect to the spate of storms, fires, and other horrific events threatening to destroy our planet! our thoughts need to turn to how we vote and what we demand of our leaders!