BY MADISON SMALSTIG, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Napa County officials have declared a local emergency as the Pickett Fire, which erupted Thursday near Calistoga, remains active — growing to 6,803 acres with 13% containment as of Monday — and continues to threaten more than 600 structures.
County CEO and Director of Emergency Services Ryan Alsop signed the proclamation Sunday, citing danger to rural areas including unincorporated parts of Calistoga, Pope Valley, Aetna Springs and Angwin, according to a county news release. The declaration, which still requires approval from Gov. Gavin Newsom, allows the county to tap state and federal resources for emergency response, recovery, damage mitigation and reimbursement for extra costs due to the wildfire. Alsop called it a “proactive step” to help the county respond to community needs.
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The county has not yet detailed what resources will arrive, but spokesperson Linda Weinreich said they will remain in place throughout the response and recovery.
By Monday, the fire’s impacts had stretched into daily life across Napa County’s northern reaches. Howell Mountain Elementary in Angwin closed for the day, though officials expect to reopen Tuesday for its roughly 90 students. In nearby Pope Valley, about 30 students returned to class under close watch of air quality monitors, with outdoor activities restricted.
Evacuation orders remained in nine zones across the fire’s footprint, stretching from Calistoga near Silverado Trail and Pickett Road northeast through the Palisades and Swartz canyons to Pope Valley Road. Six nearby zones were still under warning, though the advisory for Angwin was lifted.
On the fire line, more than 2,000 personnel — with 227 engines, 23 water tenders, 10 helicopters, 67 bulldozers and 53 hand crews — pressed into steep terrain to shore up containment. Crews cut fresh paths into hard-to-reach canyons and reinforced old dozer lines carved during the 2020 Glass Fire and later expanded through partnerships with local Firewise groups and the Napa Valley Vintners.
“There’s a lot of hard work to be done,” Cal Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit spokesperson Jason Clay said Monday. “We got a lot of boots on the ground.”
Cal Fire also established a northern landing zone for flying in crews, though it was not clear Monday whether it had been used. Damage inspectors were on scene, but officials had yet to confirm whether any homes or buildings were lost.
Weather offered only modest help. Temperatures dipped slightly into the mid- to upper 80s near Calistoga, though highs on the fire’s east side still climbed toward the upper 90s. Northeasterly winds around 6 mph shifted southwest by afternoon, increasing fire activity slightly.
Clay noted that the Glass Fire burn scar left behind heavy debris and new vegetation ready to ignite, but also reduced the overall fuel load. That mix has shaped how the Pickett Fire has behaved in Palisades Canyon.
In Pope Valley, the threat felt immediate last week as residents watched flames advance through Palisades Canyon. Diana Eakle-Hawkins, co-owner of Pope Valley Winery, recalled standing in one of her vineyards Thursday afternoon as a dark column of smoke rose overhead.
“There was a point when you could see the flames… You could see the fire progressing forward,” she said.
Her winery on Pope Valley Road remains under evacuation order, with the tasting room shuttered and vineyard work on hold. Officials assured her that reinforced dozer lines near the property’s back edge should help hold the flames. By Monday, she said, smoke had thinned and visible fire activity waned.
“We’re not seeing big dark smoke columns,” Eakle-Hawkins said. “I feel like they’ve definitely turned a corner with it and they have a good handle on it.”
For Eakle-Hawkins, a fifth-generation Pope Valley resident, the scene carries echoes of 2020 — but also signs of progress. Her family has since invested in a water truck, a bulldozer and grazing programs to reduce vegetation. She said this year’s firefighting response also feels more robust, perhaps because fewer blazes are burning across the region.
Jeff Parady, owner of the Pope Valley Garage, said he has never seen such a large response to a fire in his area. Fire engines lined his property at the top of Aetna Springs, while dozens more vehicles staged in a field below his house.
“The agency, everybody — the higher ups — knew the importance of stopping this,” he said.
In the 2020 LNU Complex — one of the most destructive wildfires in state history, killing six people and burning more than 360,000 acres across five counties, including Napa — flames swept through his property and destroyed many historic buildings. His house survived only because of the actions of friends, he said.
This time, as the Pickett Fire crept up the ridge on the back side of Palisades Canyon, bulldozers cut a line and aircraft dropped water to cool the area before crews burned away remaining fuels to prevent the fire from spreading.
“It was like a symphony,” Parady said.
Even as crews gained ground, smoke continued to affect the broader region. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District extended an advisory through Wednesday for Napa, Sonoma and Solano counties.
While she worries about the risk of smoke taint on her grapes, Eakle-Hawkins said it is too early to panic.
“The smoke was very regional in the area and … right now we are not pressing the panic button,” she said. “We’re going to leave it in the experts’ hands to evaluate and see where we go from there.
“We’re hopeful and confident that we’ll soon be off to the rest of harvest,” she added.
You can reach Staff Writer Madison Smalstig at [email protected]. On X (Twitter) @madi.smals.
