Major wildfire in California’s wine country chars thousands of acres

A fast-moving wildfire is ripping through California’s wine country, scorching more than 6,800 acres in Napa County. So far, the fire has only 13% containment, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire, or Cal Fire.

The Pickett Fire, burning near Calistoga, is tearing through remote, rugged terrain that has made firefighting efforts especially difficult. Crews are relying on air tankers, helicopters, bulldozers and hand crews to slow the flames.

Evacuations and homes under threat

Mandatory evacuation orders cover nine residential zones, and those areas are also closed to public access.  Evacuation warnings are now posted for at least a half-dozen other zones, due to the threat to life and property. A total of 615 buildings are under threat.

Officials are also warning residents in Napa, Sonoma and Solano counties to stay indoors if they have breathing or heart conditions, citing smoke and poor air quality. The blaze began last Thursday, and investigators are still working to determine its cause.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, D, said the state has deployed more than 1,200 firefighters, 140 engines, 34 bulldozers and aerial resources to battle the flames. In a post on X, his office called the response “heroic” and praised crews for their efforts to protect communities.

Extreme heat drives fire danger

The Pickett Fire is burning amid an intense late-summer heat wave across the West. Cal Fire warns that warm, dry conditions will persist in the coming days, raising the risk of further spread.

Elsewhere, the Flat Fire in central Oregon has already burned about 22,000 acres with zero containment. Heat alerts remained in effect over the weekend for more than 30 million people, stretching from Los Angeles and Las Vegas to Phoenix, Portland and Seattle. Forecasters expect temperatures to ease by the middle of the week.