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ByTerryCollins TheAssociatedPress SAN FRANCISCO A raging wildfire in rural Northern California has spread over 5 square miles and forced the evacuation of 200 homes in Napa County. But it was not threatening any major vineyards on Wednesday, a fire official and a spokes- woman for a vintners asso- ciation said. More than 1,000 fire- fighters were hoping to get a better handle on the Butts Fire in remote Pope Valley. Crews made progress overnight Tuesday in con- trolling the blaze that was 30 percent contained, said Daniel Berlant, a spokes- man for the California De- partment of Forestry and Fire Protection. The fire has damaged one home and four out- buildings. In addition to the mandatory evacua- tions, another 180 homes were threatened. No injuries have been re- ported. The cause of the fire was unknown. "The temperatures went down, and the humidity went up — and that really helped slow down this fire," Berlant said. State fire Deputy Chief Gabrielle Avina said crews were also aided by lighter winds overnight and hoped those conditions would hold throughout the day. The fast-moving blaze began Tuesday afternoon in Napa County and within hours covered 600 acres and then spiked to 2,700 acres by late evening as it spread northeast into neighboring Lake County. State firefight- ers and crews from Napa, Lake and Solano counties spent the day working in 90-degree weather, and similar temperatures were expected Wednesday. "This fire exploded be- cause the conditions are so dry all across California," Berlant said. "We were defi- nitely surprised by this one." State fire spokeswoman State McCambridge said Wednesday that the fire is not affecting the lucrative Napa Valley vineyards. Pope Valley is about 20 miles north of Napa Valley. Cate Conniff, a spokes- woman for the Napa Valley Vintners, a nonprofit trade association, agreed. "It has not come anywhere close to what we consider Napa Val- ley wineries. It is moving in the opposite direction, and it continues to move that way. We're keeping an eye out on it," Conniff said Gov. Jerry Brown said Wednesday that he has se- cured federal funds to help fire departments absorb some of the cost of fighting the fire. Elsewhere in California, firefighters were surround- ing a blaze in Shasta-Trinity National Forest that forced the evacuation of about 15 homes. Forest spokeswoman Andrea Capps said the fire has burned through 35 acres since it started Tuesday and was 70 percent contained. WILDFIRES Napa blaze covers miles KENTPORTER—SANTAROSAPRESSDEMOCRAT A Cal Fire helicopter makes a drop on the Butts Canyon Fire on Tuesday near Middletown. KEVIN WARN — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A crime scene investigator and a detective carry a cage from a residence in Anaheim. An 11-year-old autistic boy who police suspect was kept in a cage has been removed from the home, and his parents have been arrested. By Gillian Flaccus The Associated Press SANTA ANA The parents of a severely autistic boy were arrested after inves- tigators determined the 11-year-old had been kept in a large metal cage, pos- sibly to control his violent outbursts, authorities said Wednesday. The cage — similar to an extra-large dog kennel — was found in the home with a mattress and other bedding inside, Anaheim police Lt. Bob Dunn said. It was roughly 6 feet tall, 5 feet long and 3 or 4 feet wide with room to stand. The boy was not inside, but family members gave police varying accounts of how long he had been kept in it, ranging from hours to days, Dunn said. "It appeared that as he grew older his episodes of violence and outbursts were increasing and perhaps the parents utilized the cage as a tool to modify that and to contain him when that was happening," he said. "Obviously, putting your child in a locked cage, even if you're desperate for help, is not the best course of ac- tion," Dunn said, noting there are resources avail- able for families in that kind of situation. Officers went to the Anaheim home and ar- rested the parents Tues- day evening after an anonymous tipster called Orange County Child Pro- tective Services. The boy's parents were arrested on suspicion of felony child endangerment and false imprisonment. The child was well- nourished and appeared otherwise healthy and his two siblings, ages 8 and 10, were also unharmed. They were all placed in protec- tive custody, Dunn said. The parents speak lim- ited English, and investi- gators were using transla- tors to sort out details in the case. Other relatives live in the home, and one room was rented to another fam- ily with children. It wasn't immediately known if the boy's parents had an attorney. They had not made a court appear- ance and had not yet been formally charged. An arraignment will occur within the next two days if prosecutors take the case, Dunn said. There have been other instances of parents con- fining their children to deal with behavioral prob- lems. Last year, a mother in Orange County was ar- rested for chaining up her child while she was at work because he had been hang- ing out with a gang and she had no one to watch him in the evenings. Pros- ecutors dropped charges against her last month. Two years ago, a Califor- nia school district placed a special needs teacher on leave while it investigated a mother's claim that her 10-year-old autistic son was put in a cardboard box during class. The use of boxes to con- trol autistic children has caused flaps at schools around the nation in re- cent years, from West Virginia to Wisconsin to Washington. Police: 11-year-old boy kept in cage CRIME Homes evacuated; vineyards not hurt By Michael Liedtke The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draperisbettingthatbitcoins will bring more financial sta- bility to countries with shaky economies, even though the digital currency faces an un- certain future itself. The financier revealed Wednesday that he snapped up nearly 30,000 bitcoins in a recent U.S. government auction and plans to trade them in on a platform cater- ing to markets looking for al- ternatives to their own vola- tile currencies. Unlike most forms of money, bitcoins aren't backed by any government. Bitcoins also provide their owners with anonymity and enable transactions that can be completed over the Inter- net without the involvement of banks. That has turned bitcoins into a financial ve- hicle for money laundering and illegal drug sales, too. The bitcoins that Draper bought were auctioned off after the U.S. government seized them last year in a crackdown on Silk Road, a website that stockpiled the currency while selling ille- gal drugs. Draper prevailed over 44 other bidders registered for the auction, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. The price he paid isn't being re- vealed, but the bitcoins cur- rently have a market value of about $19 million. Pouringmillionsintorisky investments is something that Draper has been doing in his nearly 30 years as one of the best-known venture capitalists in Silicon Valley. FINANCE Venture capitalist snaps up bitcoins worth $19 million By Juliet Williams The Associated Press SACRAMENTO A major- ity of Californians are un- happy with income distri- bution in the state but are divided over whether the government should do more to intervene or further raise the minimum wage, accord- ing to a Field Poll released Wednesday. The survey found that 54 percent of California adults said they were dis- satisfied with the way in- come and wealth are dis- tributed, compared to 38 percent who said they were satisfied. The view is shared by similar numbers of Dem- ocrats and Republicans and across virtually all age, in- come and gender groups. Those who classified them- selves as political indepen- dents were more comfort- able than those who identi- fied with either major party, with 48 percent dissatisfied and 44 percent satisfied. Nearly six in 10 adults be- lieve the gap between the wealthy and everyone else is growing. The findings come amid a national debate about low- wage workers and the wid- ening income gap. In San Francisco, some residents have staged protests over rising rents, driven partly by a surge of wealthy high-tech workers from Silicon Valley. California's first increase in the minimum wage in six years also started Tuesday, rising to $9 an hour. It will climb to $10 an hour in 2016. Nearly half of those sur- veyed by Field said the mini- mum wage should be raised even further, while 37 per- cent said the increases al- ready taking effect are ad- equate. About one in 10 be- lieves the rate has already been raised too much. The income gap also is expected to play a role in this year's race for gover- nor, in which Republican Neel Kashkari has sought to highlight California's status as having the highest pov- erty rate in the nation as he challenges incumbent Dem- ocratic Gov. Jerry Brown. To combat poverty, Kash- kari proposes overhaul- ing the state's school sys- tem, expanding tax cred- its to promote job creation and passing policies "that support economic opportu- nity for all, not just the se- lect few." Both gubernatorial can- didates are wealthy. Before the June primary, Kashkari pegged his net worth below $5 million. He has since given his cam- paign more than $2 million. Brown has reported invest- mentsvaluedanywherefrom $430,000 to $4.3 million. In the Field Poll, Cali- fornians were sharply di- vided along partisan lines over how much they be- lieve government should do to try to reduce the wealth gap. About a third said a lot should be done, a third said some should be done and a quarter of respondents said government should not do much to intervene. POLL Californians see wealth gap growing Professional Personal Convenient •PremiumDigital Hearing Aids for every budget • FREE hearing evaluations • Service/Repair, all makes and models • Batteries & accessories • Preferred provider for most insurance plans: Including PERS, Carpenters, Blue Cross/ Blue Shield, etc. • Low monthly payment plan available • Trial Period/ Satisfaction Guaranteed AskaboutourOpenFitTechnology Discreet and Comfortable Limited Appointments CALL 1-800-488-9906 Performedforproper amplificationselectiononly. RedBluff Community Center 1500 So. 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