Wildfires, fanned by fierce winds in California’s Napa Valley, have forced thousands of people to flee their homes. Under an opaque orange sky and a sweltering new heatwave in the region’s world-famous wine country, vineyards were consumed and houses devastated by the blaze that erupted at a “dangerous rate of spread” through 11,000 acres (4,500 hectares) by Monday, Cal Fire said.

According to local reports, Napa wineries have already gone up in smoke, such as Chateau Boswell and part of Castello di Amorosa, while other vineyards like Merus Wines and Davis Estates were under imminent threat from the fast-moving flames.

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Calistoga, a picturesque community at the top of the Napa Valley known for hot springs and as a launchpad for wine tours, has largely been evacuated.

The inferno is threatening communities in Napa and neighboring Sonoma still reeling from devastating wildfires in 2017, when 44 people died and thousands of buildings were razed.

By early Monday, strong winds gusting up to 55 mph were blowing embers and spreading blazes including the Glass Fire and Shady Fire, which have merged as more than 1,000 firefighters battle to bring the flames under control.

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Houses on the edges of Sonoma County’s most populous town, Santa Rosa — home to 177,000 residents — had begun to burn, while Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) cut electricity to 65,000 homes in northern California as a precaution.

Firefighters were deploying 133 engines, 22 water tenders, five helicopters, and 35 bulldozers, the Napa Valley Register said.

California has been battling massive wildfires for months, stoked by dry conditions, strong seasonal winds and high temperatures that the state’s leadership has blamed on climate change.

Parts of the state have been engulfed at times in thick smoke, while evacuations have been complicated by the coronavirus which has hit California hard.

Five of California’s six most destructive wildfires in history have begun since last month and are still burning, according to state fire agency Cal Fire.

High winds and temperatures that picked up over the weekend have intensified those, including the huge North Complex Fire in northeastern California where new evacuations were ordered Sunday near the small town of Paradise.

Paradise was ravaged by the deadliest fire in the state’s modern history — the Camp Fire, which in November 2018 killed 86 people and destroyed some 18,000 buildings.