Fire crews reinforced firebreaks and access roads using routes established during the Glass Fire five years earlier. Bulldozers, aircraft, and hand crews worked to hold back flames with overnight operations planned. The blaze has burned over 1,200 acres and was reported 5% contained. Fewer than 40 people were under evacuation orders, with additional evacuation warnings in effect and no reported deaths, injuries, or structural damage. The fire is primarily fuel- and terrain-driven rather than wind-driven, though winds could increase. Cal Fire investigators are examining the cause, and an air quality advisory warned of smoke affecting vineyards.
A firefighting helicopter drops water onto the Pickett Fire as it burns in the hills near a vineyard on Aug. 21, 2025, in Calistoga, California. The Pickett fire has burned over 1,200 acres in the Napa Valley and is 5% contained. Crews are working bulldozers, aircraft and hand lines to hold back the flames, as evacuation orders remain in place for dozens of residents.
On Friday, firefighters used bulldozers to reinforce firebreaks and access roads, some of which were previously laid down during the Glass Fire, which burned in the same area five years ago. "We have been able to utilize some of the fire history in the region, reestablishing old fire access roads," said Jason Clay, Cal Fire public information officer with the Sonoma-Lake-Napa unit.
The fire is responding to vegetation and the landscape primarily, not behaving as a wind-driven fire, said Wilson. That's good because wind-driven fires are generally more destructive and harder to suppress than fuel- and terrain-driven fires. Winds could pick up late Friday, however, Wilson added. The fire is burning in an area of mostly grass and brush, with some trees.
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