Wildfire in Napa County grows to 3,200 acres; 5 structures destroyed

A wildfire raging in Napa County continued to grow overnight to 3,200 acres and has so far destroyed five structures, officials reported Wednesday.

The Butts fire, which broke out shortly after noon Tuesday, threatened 280 additional structures and was just 30% contained, according to the the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The fire sped across dry, rugged terrain near Butts Canyon Road in the Pope Valley area of Napa County, and grew quickly in size from an estimated 800 acres Tuesday amid 90-degree weather.

Evacuations remained in effect along Butts Canyon Road and in the Berryessa Estates area as roughly 1,000 firefighters battled the blaze, CalFire said.

As water-dropping aircraft attacked the fire from above, ground crews and bulldozers were working to cut containment lines around the blaze. Three helicopters and six fixed-wing tankers were deployed Tuesday to drop fire retardant along the fire’s flanks.

The blaze broke out as the National Weather Service predicted above-normal temperatures for much of Northern California for the remainder of the week. The cause of the fire was under investigation.

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