Pickett Fire in Napa County spreads to 2,133 acres with no containment

BY ALANA MINKLER, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

The Pickett Fire has burned at least 2,133 acres as of Friday morning activating a large overnight multi-agency response to suppress the blaze, which remains 0% contained, officials said.

The wildfire erupted Thursday afternoon on the northern outskirts of Calistoga in steep, forested terrain, prompting evacuation orders affecting dozens of rural Napa County residents under triple-digit heat.

No structure losses have been reported, and officials said there was a strong push to the east, moving away from the city said Division Chief Ryan Isham Friday.

Evacuation warnings are in place for zones ANG-E001 and POP-E002B. Both are directly east of other areas under evacuation warnings but neither covers Angwin, which sits in a narrow mountain valley to the southeast of the fire.

7:24 a.m.

The blaze remains at 2,133 acres and is 0% contained, according to Division Chief Ryan Isham in a Cal Fire LNU morning briefing.

A strong wind has pushed the fire eastward, sending it from the Pickett Lane area down in the floor of Napa Valley into the Aetna Springs side of Pope Valley.

There were over 350 total personnel working the fire overnight, and that figure is going up Friday, Division Chief Ryan Isham said in a video briefing.

There are 75 engines, 8 hand crews, 15 dozers, 10 water tenders and numerous air tankers and helicopters assigned to Friday’s day shift, fire officials said. Total personnel is approximately 435.

As temperatures warm up Friday, fire officials warned of increased fire activity within the perimeter, but stressed the increased overnight fire suppression.

11:15 p.m. Thursday

Officials said the fire was mapped the fire at 2,131 acres and remains 0% contained, Isham said.

Overnight crews worked to establish primary control lines, as well as bulldoze contingency lines along Rattlesnake Ridge into Pope Valley.

Contingency lines are a backup control line, in case primary lines fail and the fire jumps across, Isham explained.

Firefighters took advantage of the increased overnight relative humidity, which slowed the fire’s spread, and continued to use aircraft to drop water on the fire, he added.

The North Bay All-Hazard Incident Management Team has also been activated to assist Cal Fire LNU. It is a multi-agency team who respond to large, complex, all-hazard major incidents in the Northern California region.