Firefighters battled a wildfire in Sonoma County on Sunday but said they were making progress in battling the fast-spreading flames.

The Cougar Fire had already burned 40 acres as of two:23 p.m. Sunday, the state Forestry and Fire Protection Agency (CAL FIRE) reported Sunday.

No threat to buildings was reported. No injuries were reported.

“The fire’s spread was reportedly stopped at 2:20 p.m.,” Cal Fire said in a post on its website.

By 2:00 p.m. the hearth had already spread to an area of ​​around 6 hectares. By 2:20 p.m. the hearth had already reached 16 hectares.

According to current information from Cal Fire, the hearth was not yet contained at 2:30 p.m.

Cal Fire reported the hearth was positioned near Lakeville Highway south of Cougar Mountain Road in Sears Point.

Cal Fire reported that state and native emergency agencies dispatched 15 fire trucks, two helicopters, two bulldozers and two hand crews to fight the blaze.

Marin County, Petaluma, Schell-Vista, Gold Ridge and Rancho Adobe fire departments, in addition to the Sonoma Valley Fire District and the U.S. Coast Guard, worked with CAL FIRE within the response.

The explanation for the hearth was investigated.

At one point, authorities closed the intersection of State Route 37 and Lakeville Highway.

Originally published: September 15, 2024 at 3:03 p.m.

Sonoma County's largest city – its urban heart – is usually only a stopover for visitors who need to travel on and explore wine country. But Santa Rosa has gained prominence in recent times as a destination in its own right, a city with walkable neighborhoods and lots of exciting recent restaurants and other places to go to.

If you're planning a weekend getaway, your start line is a no brainer: Flamingo Resort & Spa, the recently revitalized historic motel inbuilt 1957. The refresh of this mid-century mod motel has breathed recent life into this family-friendly, budget-friendly property, with barely enough retro cool mixed with modern upgrades to spice things up.

The pool at the middle of the property, from which a series of rooms fan out like a blooming flower, is the middle of the motion. The large shallow a part of the pool is a splashy play zone for the little ones. Adult lounge chairs surround the deeper part, which is conveniently positioned near the small bar cart that gives glasses of ice-cold watermelon frosé and spicy Angry Bird margaritas ($13). And the Wild Bird pool menu offers casual fare starting from strawberry spinach salad and buttermilk fried chicken to quesadillas for youths.

Meanwhile, the breakfast, lunch and dinner menus on the resort are Lazeaway Club is just adventurous enough to intrigue adults and keep kids comfortable, too. Think fried Brussels sprouts ($10) with toasted coconut, spicy chicken bao ($15) and kalua pork sliders — and mac and cheese, too. And for brunch, try the gochujang-spiced baked eggs ($19), served in a large cast-iron skillet.

Summertime at The Flamingo brings Sunday sessions by the pool, with live DJ parties every Sunday afternoon through the tip of September featuring Mark Farina, Avi Snow, Truthlive and more. Inside, between the airy lobby and the restaurant, is the resort's nightly music venue, Vintage room. The lounge just began a rustic music night – called “Space Cowboy!” – on the primary Friday of the month featuring local country-rock musician Dustin Saylor and line dancing lessons.

A fun strategy to explore town with the entire family is a city-wide scavenger hunt on the theme of “Art, Wine and Redwoods in Santa Rosa” with Let's roam. The hunt is guided through an app and takes you to parts of town that supply a wide range of sights, historical sites and quirky places filled with trivia, with challenges that you should solve as a team.

Many of the stops are near areas you'll need to explore anyway, resembling the South A Street Art District, referred to as downtown's SOFA district, which is home to the best concentration of art studios in Sonoma County. Depending on how much time you will have, there's also a terrific place to refuel nearby. Chef Liza Hinman opened the very fashionable dinner-only Spinster Sisters in 2012 and recently opened Marigolda pop-up lunch spot with chicken sandwiches, seasonal salads and drinks like blackberry lemonade.

Check out before or after the hunt or in the course of it at Russian river brewing for a pint of Pliny or to sample your way through the range. Opt for the entire tasting board experience and sample 2-ounce servings of Californian and Belgian-inspired beers.

Whatever you do, don't miss town's Historic Railroad Square, with a 1904-built depot, train connections and all forms of attractions. Santa Rosa was home to cartoonist Charles M. Schulz for greater than 30 years, and all around the city—but especially here—you'll find sculptures paying homage to his unforgettable Peanuts characters. Find Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy and more in Railroad Square, then browse the boutiques, restaurants and antique shops that populate this historic district.

Duck in Goblin Brothers Game store for board games, cards, role playing games and all types of numbered dice you would like. Go to Cast Away Yarn Shop for colourful skeins and other knitting and crochet supplies, craft kits, and gifts starting from felt strawberries to yarn tarot. Yes, tarot—so that you, too, can foresee the magical with cards depicting the Queen of Wands with a crochet hook and the Hermit with a ball of golden yarn.

You've been on the road for some time now, so go to Grossman's Noshery & Barright across from the train station. This traditional New York deli concept is all about big doses of nostalgia, from the mile-high pastrami sandwiches ($17) on house-made rye bread to your entire “Bubbies Favorites” section of the menu. They also offer delicious Mediterranean dishes here, including a rainbow-colored Sabich Board ($22) with falafel, perfectly fried eggplant, quinoa tabbouleh, and all of the dips and tender pita you possibly can want. And the bar is intriguing, with its house-distilled vodkas.

Terri and Mark Stark Grossman's opened in March 2020, just as lockdown began, however the place has done well – we obviously needed comfort food then and we still need it now. It's one among eight popular restaurants operated by the couple's Stark Reality restaurant group in Santa Rosa and Healdsburg. The list also includes Bird & the Bottle, Willi's and Augie's French, which opened last fall.

Another excellent spot to stop for a bite – or a treat – is Amy Brown and Joe Wolf's Marla Bakery. The bakery first opened in San Francisco, where it gained a big following, but closed in 2019. Late last yr, it reopened within the historic Railroad District. Be sure to try their famous crebble ($5.50), a twisted, knotted croissant with maple sugar and sea salt, in addition to their massive sandwiches. Friday nights feature fried chicken ($28), and Sundays feature a dinner series featuring local winemakers, guest chefs, and special menus served of their chic, modern setting.

And if you happen to fancy a correct pint, head to The Goose and the Fern. The pub atmosphere, with dark wood, green partitions and appropriately sized pint glasses, transports you across the pond. The menu of classic English pub fare is topped off with tantalizing fish and chips ($24), said to be one of the best on the town, and a blinding wine list.

When you go

Flamingo Resort & Spa: Rooms start at $237. The hotel is positioned at 2777 Fourth St. in Santa Rosa. www.flamingoresort.comCheck out the Lazeaway Club menu at https://lazeawayclub.com and the Vintage Space program at https://vintagespacesr.com.

Let’s roam: This 90-minute, 1.40-mile scavenger hunt in Santa Rosa costs $13 per person. www.letsroam.com.

The Old Maid Sisters: Open Tuesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., with a pop-up lunch to-go, Marigold, open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., 401 S. A St.; thespinstersisters.com.

Russian river brewing: Open day by day from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., 725 Fourth St.; www.russianriverbrewing.com.

Goblin Bros. Games and Equipment: Opens at 11 a.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. weekends at 129 Fourth St.; https://goblinbros.com.

Yarn Shop Cast Away: Open Wednesday through Monday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., 100 Fourth St.; https://castawayyarnshop.com.

Grossman’s: Open day by day 8 a.m. to eight p.m., 308 Wilson St.; https://grossmanssr.com.

Marla Bakery: Opens Thursday through Sunday at 8 a.m. at 208 Davis St.; www.marlabakery.com

The Goose and the Fern: Open 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. or later Wednesday through Sunday, 116 Fifth St.; https://thegooseandfern.com.

A wildfire that has been raging in Sonoma County since Sunday was greater than half contained by sunrise Wednesday morning and had not spread within the previous 24 hours, fire officials said.

Firefighters had achieved 50% containment. Spot firethe agency said. The fire has burned 1,207 acres (1.9 square miles), but that number has remained unchanged since Tuesday morning.

Cal Fire said crews have installed control lines around the whole perimeter of the fireplace and heavy cleanup is going down inside that perimeter. Cal Fire spokesman Will Powers said crews don’t expect the fireplace to spread further.

The Point Fire injured one firefighter and destroyed two buildings, Cal Fire said.

The fire was the fourth largest of eight blazes in California which have burned at the very least 300 acres of land. Cal Fire crews were still battling the fireplace Wednesday morning.

The largest of those is the After the fireplace in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. As of 5:40 a.m. Wednesday, the fireplace had burned 15,690 acres (24½ miles) and was 39% contained. It has been burning since Saturday afternoon. Cal Fire said that they had stopped the fireplace's advance on the north end of Interstate 5.

The Locations Fire More than 15,000 acres have also burned in Colusa County. Cal Fire said the fireplace had burned 16,656 acres in Colusa County as of early Wednesday and was only 5% contained. Several structures remain threatened by this fireplace, and evacuation orders remained in effect.

The fire brigade had contained 33% of the fires. Aero Fire in Calaveras County by Wednesday morning. This fire had burned 5,351 acres and was the third largest fire within the state.

Elsewhere, the Hesperia Fire (San Bernardino County) was 91% contained and had burned 1,078 acres, while the Hernandez Fire (San Benito County) was 90% contained after burning 642 acres.

The teams also fought against the Douglas Fire in Sacramento County. This fire had burned 327 acres by Tuesday evening and was 0% contained. The West Light in Los Angeles County, it had consumed 300 acres and was also 0% contained as of Tuesday, in line with Cal Fire.

Please check back later for updates.

California's wineries are set in a number of the most beautiful landscapes possible, and the summer months offer the chance to enjoy those views with a glass of wine and an outside feast. Here are five options in Sonoma, Napa and Livermore that range from idyllic picnic spots to music and a bite to eat.

A fast note: Many wineries offer picnic tables and amenities for guests tasting wine. Check reservation and picnic policies before you visit—some allow outside food, some don't, and no winery allows outside beverages.

Picnics within the vineyards of DIYers: Reserve a picnic within the rose garden, meadow or pond at this Windsor winery and also you'll receive a cheerful red Bricoleur Vineyards wagon to move your well-packed luxury wicker basket and chilled wine. The “Essential Picnic” package costs $75 to $100 per person and includes every little thing you would like for an al fresco meal. Available Friday through Sunday through October. Reserve and learn more at bricoleurvineyards.com.

Sunset hikes at Murrieta's Well: Hike to the highest of this Livermore vineyard and revel in sunset colours, beautiful scenery, small-batch wine, and a picnic box for 2 on select dates through October. Make reservations ($95 per person) and learn more at https://murrietaswell.com/visit/.

Wente Vineyards Live Music Series: This Livermore Winery Music Series, running through August 24, includes outdoor performances by local artists – Queen Nation, The Sun Kings, The Front Porch Drifters and more – in addition to wine, beer, cocktails and food trucks. Reserve tickets ($50) and find details at wentevineyards.com/events.

Sunset Soirée at Dry Creek: Yes, summer is just starting—but mark August 24 in your calendar for a summer send-off at this Healdsburg winery. This festive dinner and dance party features limited-production wines, outdoor snacks and retro music at Dry Creek Vineyard. Reserve tickets ($195) and find more information at tinyurl.com/SunsetSoireeDryCreek.