The three-alarm fire at Wines Central sent plumes of smoke more than 700 feet high that could be seen for miles. The blaze could not be controlled by firefighters because the Mare Island building — a 1942 structure that once housed Navy torpedoes — had steel doors and 3-foot-thick concrete walls and a concrete roof that could not be penetrated.

The blaze, the first of two big warehouse fires in the Bay Area on Wednesday, began around 3:30 p.m. and was expected to burn into the morning, said Vallejo fire spokesman Bill Tweedy.

Wines Central converted the old military fortress three years ago into a 240,000-square-foot specialty warehouse that stored more than 500,000 cases of rare vintages believed to be worth up to $100 million, officials said. Clients included wineries, private collectors and some other businesses.

Warehouse fire destroys huge wine collection [SFGate]