A wildfire burning in northern California has destroyed five structures, threatens 380 buildings and has grown to 1,295 hectares, according to fire officials Wednesday. The blaze, dubbed the Butts fire, started Tuesday in Pope Valley near Napa Valley State Park, about 128 kilometers north of San Francisco, and was 30-per-cent contained Wednesday. Mandatory evacuations were ordered for about 180 residents. Tony Sarto, an aide at Bothe-Napa Valley State Park, about 11 kilometres north of the fire, described a large plume of smoke to as an Francisco television station: "It looks like a volcano erupted." Cooler temperatures and higher humidity, according to the California Fire Incident report, were aiding the 1,000 firefighters battling the blaze.
