CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : PLEASANTON : Arson Suspected in Defunct Winery Fire

Arson was suspected Friday in the fire that destroyed the defunct 102-year-old Ruby Hill Winery between Pleasanton and Livermore. Until 1975, when the owner died, it was one of the largest operating wineries in California. The fast-moving blaze Wednesday morning ate through huge, rough-cut redwood beams of the cavernous structure, sending flames 75 feet into the air and caving in the roof. Investigators said arson was suspected because there was no gas or electric service to the building and children and transients sometimes entered the structure.