A wildfire dubbed the Pickett Fire has charred roughly 6,803 acres in Napa County’s wine region since erupting on Thursday, according to Cal Fire. The blaze, burning in steep, vegetation-laden terrain north of Calistoga, remained just 11% contained late Sunday, sending thick orange smoke across nearby valleys and vineyards. Authorities ordered about 190 residents to evacuate and placed a further 360 under warning as the flames edged toward some 500 structures, including wineries around Aetna Springs and Pope Valley. Napa County Chief Executive Officer and Director of Emergency Services Ryan Alsop signed a local emergency proclamation on Sunday to unlock additional resources and funding; some evacuation zones were later downgraded to warnings as lines held overnight. More than 1,200 firefighters backed by 10 helicopters, 140 engines and other heavy equipment are working around the clock to corral the fire. Night-flying aircraft and controlled burns helped slow its eastward advance, but officials warned that hot, dry and increasingly windy conditions could reignite rapid growth. The cause of the Pickett Fire is under investigation. It is burning in the same area as the 2020 Glass Fire, which devastated more than 105 square miles, leaving dead timber and regrown brush that are now fueling the current blaze. The Napa incident is one of several large fires stretching resources across the U.S. West; in central Oregon, the Flat Fire has expanded to almost 34 square miles, triggering evacuation notices for about 4,000 homes.
Thousands of homes in California wine country and central Oregon are in danger from wildfires. https://t.co/ti35mYjNdP
Wildfires threaten homes in Oregon and California, prompting hundreds of evacuations | Click on the image to read the full story https://t.co/fezwIeO0AP
El incendio Pickett provoca evacuaciones en el condado de Napa, California https://t.co/kG6ZK6LCkR