Canyon Fire Burning In Napa County

NAPA COUNTY, CA -- The Canyon Fire, which broke out Friday afternoon in near Lake Berryessa in northern Napa County, was 114 acres in size as of 9:32 p.m. and containment remained at 25 percent, according to Cal Fire. Mandatory evacuations that had been in place earlier along Highway 128 in the immediate area of the wildfire have since been reduced to "evacuation warning" status, officials reported. The fire is at Sage Canyon Road and Highway 128 in Capell Valley, north of Highway 121 near Lake Berryessa.

Initially reported at about 1 p.m. Friday, the wildfire prompted authorities to close several roads. Closures included Sage Canyon Road at Lower Chiles Valley Road and Somerston Estate Winery; Highway 128 at Capell Valley Crossroad and Somerston Estate Winery; and Berryessa Knoxville Road at the Capell launch ramp, according to the Napa County Sheriff's Office. The road closures were likely to remain in effect until Saturday, sheriff's officials advised.

A SigAlert was issued for the area at 2:32 p.m., CHP reported. Motorists were encouraged to take alternate routes.

The Cal Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit is assigned to the incident. According to Cal Fire spokeswoman Suzie Blankenship, the vegetation fire was reported at 12:57 p.m. in the 3900 block of Sage Canyon Road.

The fire in steep, rocky terrain with heavy brush was threatening structures in the area, Blankenship said.

Earlier, Cal Fire had ordered mandatory evacuations for residents and businesses from Turtle Rock to Somerston Estate Winery, and an evacuation advisory from Turtle Rock to Capell Valley Crest.

The Canyon Fire was initially 30 acres but quickly grew in size, officials said.

About 270 firefighters from multiple agencies were at the scene, according to Cal Fire.

Patch will update this breaking news story as more information is gathered; refresh the page for the latest.

Bay City News Service contributed to this report / Patch file photo via Renee Schiavone