Hundreds flee from out-of-control California blaze

Hundreds of people have been forced to flee northern California wine country as a wildfire exploded in size, fuelled by dangerous winds.

A firefighter keeps an eye on the exposure of a house. Source: EPA

Hundreds of residents of northern California's wine-producing Sonoma County have been ordered to evacuate after an out-of-control fire rapidly expanded.

Fuelled by fierce winds, the uncontained blaze has burned nearly 4050 hectares, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says.

About 900 residents of Geyserville, around 100km north of San Francisco, were placed under mandatory evacuation on Thursday.

Fire burns ground cover in a vineyard as the Kincade Fire burned through the area near Geyserville, California. Source: EPA

No injuries have been reported from the fire.

Sonoma, along with nearby Napa Valley, is famed as California's centre of winemaking.

The strong winds prompted electric company PG&E to shut off power to over 150,000 residents of Northern California to prevent wildfires.

A wildfire in November 2018 in the Northern Californian town of Paradise is believed to have been triggered by snapped power lines.

The Kincade Fire burning in the hills above Geyserville. Source: EPA

The fire killed 85 people and destroyed numerous homes in Paradise, making it the deadliest and most destructive in the state's history.

The length of California's fire season is estimated to have increased by 75 days in Northern California, believed to be fuelled by climate change, which has created longer and more intense dry seasons, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.