This story has been updated.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – A fire that began at The Geysers geothermal steamfield during the midst of an early Friday morning windstorm jumped in size by the afternoon.
The McCabe Fire was reported just after 2 a.m. Friday, as Lake County News has reported.
At around 10 a.m. Friday it had been reported at 200 acres with 10 percent containment, with Cal Fire reporting that it had grown to 2,000 acres by about 4 p.m., and was up to 2,500 acres just before 6 p.m., with 10 percent containment.
Cal Fire said it is located within Sonoma County's boundaries but is headed toward Lake County.
The fire is threatening a number of structures, including two nearby geothermal power plants. Radio reports indicated it had damaged a cooling tower on one of the plants.
The winds that continued throughout Friday – and which forecasters expect to last until Saturday evening – appeared to be aiding the fire's rapid spread, with firefighters on scene reporting they were focusing on structure protection.
Cal Fire spokesperson Suzi Blankenship said the incident was displaying “erratic fire behavior” with long range spotting.
On Friday afternoon, Cal Fire said there were 32 fire engines, 18 fire crews and a total of 350 fire personnel assigned to the incident.
The fire's cause remains under investigation, Cal Fire said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.