'I thought for sure it was over:' Couple recalls dramatic escape from Kincade Fire Wildfire burns in Sonoma County, destroys dozens of structures

A Geyserville couple recalled their dramatic escape from the Kincade Fire. A Geyserville couple recalled their dramatic escape from the Kincade Fire. Photo: KCRA Photo: KCRA Image 1 of / 42 Caption Close 'I thought for sure it was over:' Couple recalls dramatic escape from Kincade Fire 1 / 42 Back to Gallery

GEYSERVILLE, Calif. — Bursts of orange flames illuminated the hilltops surrounding Geyserville on Thursday evening. The ominous glow has left evacuees in awe of what they narrowly escaped.

“When I opened the screen door, you couldn’t see my hand. That’s how thick the smoke was and the fire was so bad in the mountains,” said Madonna Tavares.

Madonna Tavares and her husband Victor live in Geyserville. They are now staying at the evacuation shelter in neighboring Healdsburg after a stranger came knocking on their door at 5:30 a.m.

“It’s like somebody put a bomb out and all of a sudden you hear this big, ‘Bam, bam, bam! Get out quick!’” she said. “I thought for sure it was over.”

The wildfire, called the Kincade Fire, ignited around 9:30 p.m. near John Kincade Road and Burned Mountain Road. The fire spread quickly due to the windy conditions in the area.

RELATED: Latest news: Kincade Fire grows to 25,455 acres in Sonoma County

The Tavares have lived in wine country for decades and avoided evacuating wildfires in the past. Not this time.

“This time was a lot different because we saw the fire coming over the hill,” said Victor Tavares.

Thankfully, the couple packed their car the night before just in case, making for a quick escape. When someone came pounding on their door early Thursday morning, they only had to grab two more things that were most precious to them -- their dogs.

“Your adrenaline goes and you do what you have to do quickly ‘cause you’re trying to save your life,” Madonna Tavares said. “And that’s what we did. We grabbed our dogs and we left.”

On Thursday evening, their home was still standing. But, others were not so lucky. Cal Fire said at least 49 structures were destroyed by the blaze.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen next. Now, we got to take one minute at a time,” said Victor Tavares.

This story originally appeared on KCRA.