B.C vintner vows to rebuild after wildfire hits his California winery

A West Vancouver man has lost part of his winery to the fast-moving wildfires in California.

Ray Signorello, owner ofSignorelloEstate, says he's fortunate to have not lost it all.

"To be honest, it could have been a lot worse," Signorello stated.

His wifeTanyawas at the vineyardas the fire was approaching.

Signorellosays shefrantically called him Sunday night around 10:45 p.m. PT,saying the fire was making its way over a nearby ridge and they needed to leave.

"We were basically one of the first buildings to get hit, and within an hour my building was gone."

'There is a silver lining'

While his Napa Valley production facility and his residence have been reduced to rubble, he says his 40-acre vineyard, barrel cellar and tank storage that currently holds his 2017 vintage, all appear to be fine.

According to Signorello, hisretail business in California will be out of commission for a year or two, but they will rebuild.

"There's a silver lining here for us, in that no one got hurt."

Signorello says he is grateful for the outpouring of support he's received from other wineries who have not been touched by the rapid moving fires.

Keeping a watchful eye

As the flames approach his winery property,another B.C.owner is keeping a close watch on the fast-moving California wildfires that have left at least 21 dead and destroyed more than 3,000 structures.

Tony Stewart, the CEO of Quails' Gate Winery in West Kelowna and the owner of the Lake Sonoma Winery in the Sonoma Valley, said his winery is so far untouched and his staff issafe.

• California wildfires grow in size and scope, with 21 now dead

A burst of wind could be enough to blow the flames down into the valley where his property is though, he told CBC Early Editionhost Rick Cluff.

"If you can think of it like many of the valleys here [in B.C.], the fire is kind of creeping down the sides, and it's just a matter of, if the winds come up and pull it down onto the valley floor, where you run into risks," Stewart said.

Staff at the Lake Sonoma Winery had to fleeSunday night.

"They literally had minutes to get out. They went to bed and everything was fine and then they woke up in the middle of the night with fires around them," Stewart said.

'It's catastrophic'

His first concern, Stewart said, is saving people's lives but he is aware of the toll the fires will take on his business right in the middle of harvest season.

"There is no fruit moving at this moment.There are tanks full of wine that [is] fermenting," Stewart said.

"It's catastrophic in terms of that for the wine industry. But certainly, everything has been focused on saving property and lives at this point."

Stewart is no stranger to forest fires in wine country, both in California and B.C., and said he has been in some fairly tenuous situations in the past.

"I think we're going to have to start thinking a little differently and working to listen to experts on what we can do to help mitigate this," he said.

To hear more, click on the audio link below:

With files from The Early Editionand CBC News Vancouver at 6.