Firefighters hampered by weather

Firefighters were hampered by erratic wind and low humidity today as they made slow progress against a fire that had burned nearly 12,000 acres and four homes in the Northern California wine country.

The fire, which started on Friday north-east of Geyserville in Sonoma County, had been 20% contained and full containment was not expected until Wednesday, said Janet Marshall, spokeswoman for the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.