(By Anna Armstrong, The Press Democrat) The Pickett Fire, the largest wildfire in the region this year, saw containment rise slightly Saturday after burning almost 6,000 acres in Napa County, prompting new evacuations and challenging fire control lines.
In a Saturday evening update, Cal Fire officials said the weather presented challenges in the afternoon with wind pushing the smoke further into Aetna Springs. Smoke conditions temporarily grounded firefighting aircraft, officials said, and windy conditions were expected to continue overnight. In the update, Cal Fire spokesperson Jason Clay said the day had been “challenging” for fire fighters and said the fire pushed “aggressively east.” Still, he said firefighters have been able to hold control lines. Containment remained at 11% as of 9:30 p.m.
At the start of Saturday, containment stood at 7%. Napa County Sheriff Oscar Ortiz said the fire was concentrated in a very sparsely populated area with some ranches and vineyards. At around 5 p.m. Saturday, Cal Fire officials announced evacuations in the 1600 block of Aetna Springs Road. By 5:30 p.m., additional evacuation orders were issued for zones POP-E001-A, NPA-E107-B and NPA-E108-A. Both of the latest evacuation areas were northeast of Calistoga.
Prior to the Saturday evening evacuations, between 110 and 170 people had been told to leave their neighborhoods, according to Henry Wofford, a Sheriff’s Office spokesman. That number, he said, has grown, but the office did not have an updated estimate. This device is unable to display framed content.
Earlier in the day, Napa County officials split evacuation zone POP-E002 into three zones. Zone E002-C was placed under an evacuation order, while zone E002-B remained under an evacuation warning. Zone POP-E001-B, also under an evacuation order, includes Napa County’s historic Aetna Springs Resort, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Evacuation orders also remained in place for zones NPA-E114, NPA-E115, NPA-E120, NPA-E121-B, NPA-E121-C, and NPA-E122-B. Warnings remained in place for zones ANG-E001, NPA-E107, NPA-E121-A and NPA-E122-A.
In a Saturday morning summary, Cal Fire officials said ground crews and three night-flying helicopters worked overnight Friday to successfully hold the blaze within established contingency lines. Clay said the acreage growth seen overnight Friday was expected. Saturday’s firefighting objectives included strengthening control lines along the fire’s right flank near Friesen Drive and right shoulder toward Ink Grade, officials said. The fight still continues on the fire’s eastern front, Clay added. A total of 1,230 personnel were assigned to the Pickett Fire as of Saturday morning. Saturday marked the coolest day since the fire’s start, Clay said.
As of noon Saturday, air quality maps showed unhealthy levels in the areas surrounding the fire but better dispersion than Friday in neighboring communities like Calistoga and Pope Valley. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s air quality advisory for Sonoma, Napa and Solano counties is still in effect through Monday. Saturday evening, commuters reported seeing plumes of smoke as far south as Novato and as far west as Occidental.
“Firefighter safety is a big focus for us,” Clay said. “We are making sure crews are well-supported with proper nutrition, hydration and rest cycles.” Personnel from Cal Fire’s law enforcement arm were on-scene, working to determine the blaze’s cause. Shortly before 3 p.m. Saturday, Clay said crews saw increased fire activity in the afternoon, which was expected. Clay also said there had been no reports of any structures damaged or destroyed and no injuries were reported during the first three days of the fire. This device is unable to display framed content. Click here to view this embed.
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