Pickett fire in Napa County grows, threatening homes and wineries

The Pickett fire in northern Napa County expanded over the weekend under hot, dry conditions and became the region's largest fire this year, prompting evacuation orders near Calistoga. The blaze covered 6,803 acres and was 11% contained, up from 7%, after growing 1,841 acres in 24 hours and pushing toward Aetna Springs Road before crews held it within control lines. No structures have been confirmed damaged or destroyed to date. About 1,200 personnel and extensive equipment including engines, dozers, hand crews, water tenders and helicopters were deployed. The National Weather Service warned of elevated fire-weather and plume-dominated behavior potential.

Fueled by hot and dry conditions, the Pickett fire in Napa County grew over the weekend, becoming the largest in the region this year as it spurred evacuations while threatening homes and vineyards. As of Sunday morning, the fire in the northern part of the county covered 6,803 acres and was 11% contained - up from 7% - according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. It broke out Thursday northeast of Calistoga, with some residents around the town of 5,000 under evacuation orders.

The fire "grew by 1,841 acres over the last 24 hours, with much of the activity observed on the eastern edge of the fire where it pushed towards Aetna Springs Road," Cal Fire said in a Sunday morning post on X. "Crews were successful in holding it inside established control lines there. Fire activity did moderate overnight." "To date there has been no confirmation of structures damaged and/or destroyed," the Cal Fire update said.

During a Saturday evening video update, Cal Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit Operations Chief Jeremy Pierce said that although weather conditions had made it a "challenging day for our firefighters out there on the line" it was one that Cal Fire was prepared for because of predicted weather. Fire and sheriff's staff said there were about 1,200 personnel working on operations, with 140 engines, 34 dozers, 20 hand crews, 24 water tenders and 10 helicopters.

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