Wineries facing $65M in damage from Pickett Fire

CALISTOGA, Calif. (KRON) — Firefighters are making some progress on the Pickett Fire, but the damage sure is adding up.

The Napa County blaze near Calistoga has burned through 6,803 acres and is now 37% contained.

As of Thursday, Cal Fire confirms more than 2,600 personnel are assisting with the fire, including nine helicopters, 220 engines, 52 dozers, 36 water tenders and 59 crews.

“Numerous firefighting air tankers from throughout the State are flying fire suppression missions as conditions allow,” said Cal Fire in a progress update Thursday.

Napa County officials estimate that agriculture producers have suffered at least $65 million dollars in damage. They project the future, but numbers could climb even higher.

“The survey reflects reported damage to approximately 1,500 acres, or just over 3 percent of Napa Valley’s total production acreage,” says County of Napa in a statement. “A majority of the reported damage is to winegrapes, with beehives reported as livestock impacted.”

One local winery owner tells KRON4 that he’s already suffering losses.

“Just putting the samples into the bags, you can smell the smoke,” said Elton Sloan, owner of Robert Craig Wine. “We lose $4.5 million worth of revenue in 2027 and 2028, when these wines would be released. In the immediate — we, of course, we don’t sell $300,000 worth of fruit to people.”

The fire started on August 21 near a vineyard.

“We’re already seeing the effects of the Pickett Fire with entire vineyards burned, and we expect to see even greater agricultural impacts once this fire is fully contained,” said Tracy Cleveland, Napa County Agricultural Commissioner. “We’ll continue to work with the industry to get a more precise assessment of the fire’s impact.”

Several evacuation orders and warnings persist for the region.

“An overnight marine layer has brought excellent humidity recovery to the fire area,” said Cal Fire. “Large fuels continue to smolder within the fire perimeter as firefighters work to construct direct control lines within steep, rugged terrain.

The cause of the fire is still not known.