Flames, fermentation, fear and recovery in Sonoma

On 23 October, the Kincade Fire exploded to life on the hillsides above Geyserville in California’s Sonoma County, and quickly prompted the evacuation of that small town. Four days later, it had grown to 26,000 acres (10,500 ha) and was threatening the towns of Healdsburg and Windsor (see my day-by-day coverage of the fire in Kincade Fire menaces Sonoma). In response to forecasts of gale-force winds, Pacific Gas & Electric, the local electrical utility, cut off power to more than two million...