By John Strege

A fire early Monday forced the evacuation of Silverado Resort & Spa in Napa only hours after the completion of the PGA Tour’s season-opening Safeway Open.

Mitch Cosentino, a prominent winemaker in the Napa Valley, an avid golfer and friend to many on the PGA Tour, posted this on his Facebook page about 1:30 a.m. (PDT): SILVERADO COUNTRY CLUB IS IN DANGER. THE FIRES HAVE COME DOWN PAST William Hill Winery. Both sides of Hardman Rd are burning across from the driving range at the Country Club. This has passed thru a very good Cab Sauv vineyard just north of the 5th hole. I was supposed to pick Thursday. Likely no good now. Who knows what has happened to William Hill Winery.”

#napafire #Silverado fire burning right along south course. Structures across street burning pic.twitter.com/6oiRexTCfB

— G.J. Perdaems (@Gjperdaems) October 9, 2017

“Several massive wildfires burned out of control in Napa and Sonoma counties early Monday, destroying an untold number of homes and businesses, forcing the evacuation of many thousands of people and shutting down major roadways as firefighters sought to halt the advance of infernos that were driven by powerful winds,” this story in the San Francisco Chronicle said.

“Guests of the Silverado Resort and Spa on Atlas Peak Road said they had been evacuated in a rush as flames approached. The resort had hosted the Safeway Open, a PGA Tour event, which ended Sunday.

“‘We were sleeping, but we kept smelling smoke,’ said Chris Thomas, 42, of Kirkland, Wash., who arrived in the Napa Valley late Sunday with his wife, Marissa Schneider, for a wine-tasting trip.”

It is not yet known whether any tour players were still at the resort, though tournament host Johnny Miller has a condominium there. Miller, on Golf Channel’s telecast on Sunday, made note of the strong winds. “This is a very unusual wind. … To have that north wind blowing out of nowhere after three days of just mild little breezes it makes it a lot tougher.”

UPDATE: Here are Tweets from PGA Tour players still in the area:

I've never run from a wild fire before #napafire

— Patton Kizzire (@pkizzire) October 9, 2017

200+ acre fire off Atlas Peak Rd. Prayers for all the first responders headed that way. Really scary stuff… #napa pic.twitter.com/BUFHBLannM

— Kyle Thompson (@KyleThompsonPGA) October 9, 2017

At a friends house near downtown Napa. Hope it doesn't come this way.

— Kyle Thompson (@KyleThompsonPGA) October 9, 2017

https://twitter.com/martinpiller/status/917262510264164353

UPDATED, Monday, Oct. 9, 2:50 p.m.

The latest images in Napa show the fire having consumed grandstands that were used in the Safeway Open this weekend. No official word on damage done to the course or to Silverado Resort itself.

State of emergency declared as three fast-moving wildfires totaling 44,000 acres burn north of Napa, California https://t.co/OZZoeBrj5l pic.twitter.com/5XURlVTw6E

— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) October 9, 2017

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