Wildfire forces evacuations in remote part of Napa County

Kelseyville firefighters prepare to pull back from the fire on Butts Canyon Road, as the fire jumps the road, Tuesday July, 1, 2014, outside Middletown, Calif., at the border between Lake and Napa counties. By early evening 140 homes were evacuated and 2,500 acres were burned. (AP Photo/The Press Democrat, Kent Porter) less Kelseyville firefighters prepare to pull back from the fire on Butts Canyon Road, as the fire jumps the road, Tuesday July, 1, 2014, outside Middletown, Calif., at the border between Lake and Napa counties. By ... more Photo: Kent Porter, Press Democrat Via AP Photo: Kent Porter, Press Democrat Via AP Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Wildfire forces evacuations in remote part of Napa County 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

A wildfire was burning Tuesday night in a remote area of northern Napa County west of Lake Berryessa, forcing evacuations and sending up a plume of smoke that could be seen from miles around, officials said.

The Butts Fire, which started just after noon near Butts Canyon and James Creek roads in Pope Valley, had burned 2,500 acres by 6 p.m. and was 30 percent contained, said the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The Napa County Sheriff's Office said mandatory evacuations were in effect from the west side of the 7800 block of Butts Canyon Road to north of Snell Valley Road. An evacuation point was established for residents at Pope Valley Union Elementary School.

Residents of the Berryessa Estates subdivision were also under mandatory evacuation orders, said Cal Fire spokeswoman Karen Stasko, with residents being told to use Middletown High School as a meeting point.

Butts Valley, Snell Valley and Aetna Springs roads were all closed, Stasko said.

Five structures had been damaged, Cal Fire Division Chief Mike Wilson said, but he was unsure if they were homes or outbuildings.

More than 300 firefighters were on scene, with 25 engines, six bulldozers, three helicopters and five tanker planes providing water drops, Wilson said. Cal Fire was getting help from the CHP as well as the Napa and Napa County fire departments.

A man who owns a home near where the fire started said his thermometer read 92 degrees around 3 p.m., but winds were calm.

"We have fires up here every three or four years, but this one is bigger," he said. "This one pushed right up the valley straight into a dry pine forest."

No injuries had been reported, and the cause of the fire had not been determined.