Firefighters are battling a wildfire near the Geysers in Sonoma County that started early Friday morning and has since grown to 3,500 acres, Cal Fire officials said Saturday afternoon.
The McCabe Fire, which was first reported around 2 a.m. Friday about 10 miles northeast of Geyserville, was 65 percent contained as of Sunday night.
"Now it's died down so we have the opportunity to get aggressive in containing this fire, but we're talking about fuels and terrains that are very dry and very steep," Cal Fire Capt. Jonathan Cox said. "We can't discount the fact that the potential for growth is still there."
The fire was moving in a northeasterly direction toward Lake County as of this afternoon, Cal Fire Capt. Scott McLean said.
The blaze has prompted the evacuation of at least a dozen homes near a geothermal power plant in the Geysers area along Geysers Road near Cloverdale and Healdsburg, according to Cal Fire.
No injuries have been reported.
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The flames destroyed a cooling tower at the power plant on Friday but so far have not reached any other structures, McLean said.
The captain said the fire has been tough to fight due to low humidity and the area's steep terrain and abundance of brush, dry grass and timber.
#McCabeFire [update] northeast of Geyserville (Sonoma County) is now 3500 acres & 25% contained. http://t.co/KV9ZRIJsAl — CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) November 23, 2013
Gusty winds that have whipped much of the region in recent days have also hindered firefighters' progress, and winds picked up in the Geysers area again this morning, McLean said.
"Basically you have everything you don't want to have," he said. "It's making it very difficult, especially to access the fire."
This afternoon, crews continued to attack the flames and attempt to contain the fire.
A total of 783 fire personnel from more than a dozen agencies have been called to fight the wildfire since Friday morning, according to Cal Fire.
Meanwhile, a wildfire that has burned about 300 acres in Napa County is now 80 percent contained, according to Cal Fire officials.
Fire crews expect to be able to fully contain the Silverado Fire by 6 p.m., said Cal Fire Capt. Scott McLean.
The vegetation fire, which was reported around 9:40 p.m. Thursday off of the Silverado Trail in the Soda Canyon area, sparked the evacuations of about 50 homes and road closures.
Some evacuees were directed to the Napa High School gymnasium as the fire burned Thursday night and the American Red Cross was summoned to provide assistance. Residents were allowed to return home on Friday evening, according to the Napa County Sheriff's Office. Officials said firefighters gained the upper hand on the fire on Friday morning, and by Friday evening the blaze was about 70 percent contained.
Today, crews focused on keeping the fire contained and mopping up smoldering spots, Cal Fire Capt. Scott McLean said.
The fire has burned a total of 300 acres and destroyed an outbuilding, but has not damaged any other structures, he said.
The cause of the blaze is under investigation.
