"This summer, temperatures have been scorching hot, and with the dry grass, Napa County has been facing some serious fires"--paloma bastos, 7th grade
Recently, the residents of Napa County have been ordered to evacuate due to the Pickett Fire. This summer, temperatures have been scorching hot, and with the dry grass, Napa County has been facing some serious fires. But how does this compare to previous fires in the Bay Area–and what does this mean for Napa County residents?
The Pickett Fire
The Pickett Fire started on August 21st, 2025, around 3:00 PM. It burned 6,819 acres in the Napa and Sonoma area, and approximately 150 to 190 people were under mandatory evacuation orders, and around 360 to 500 people were under evacuation warnings. More than 2,000 firefighters were sent to fight the raging blaze. The cause is under investigation, but it is possible it started from ashes from a fireplace in a local winery. The fire is now 100% contained as of September 7th, says CAL FIRE. Evacuation orders were put in place near Pickett Rd, but have now been lifted. “Several area wineries are included in the evacuation zone, including Aetna Springs Cellars, Young Winery, and Last Resort Winery,” says Fox Weather. As a result, the wine harvest season was threatened, and wineries suffered $65 million in damage. Beehives and their owners were also affected by the Pickett Fire. Five structures were destroyed: one single-family residence and four outbuildings. According to CAL FIRE.
How Does the Pickett Fire Compare to the Glass Fire
The Glass Fire was another fire in the area that occurred on September 27, 2020. It got its name due to its origin near Glass Mountain Road in Deer Park, Napa County, and it also extended into Sonoma County. Similar to the Pickett Fire, it burned wineries and was in the Sonoma-Napa area. The Pickett Fire is quite similar to the Glass Fire, as it burned in the same geographical area and re-burned parts of the Glass Fire's 2020 footprint. And its vegetation regrowth was a factor in containing the 2025 Pickett Fire by providing lighter fuel.
How Do These Fires Happen, And Who And What Are Affected By Them
Some places are more vulnerable to fires, such as Napa County, Lid Soriano, a Napa County resident, says “Napa County is surrounded by lots of oak trees, hills, and [a lot of farm land] that have cleared out fuels-control burns…” due to that fires happen quite a lot there, the Glass Fire and the Pickett Fire aren’t the only ones. As I said, wineries were affected during the Pickett Fire because of the large number of farms in the area that thrive due to the favorable weather conditions.
Soriano mentioned that “I have family members in the Pope Valley area that had to evacuate in two days. I also have family who work picking grapes and prepping vineyard ranches to protect their crops. Family and friends worked in those terrible smoky conditions.”
In 2016, a major fire occurred in that area. Many had to evacuate, including Caitlin Knowles, an educational specialist and Napa resident. “During the fire in 2016, my son, who was about six years old at the time, and I, as well as our cat, had to hop in our car around 2 AM to evacuate our house. We were not the only people on the road trying to get out, so that was scary. We had to drive as far away.” This is an example of what thousands have to go through because of these fires.
Emirlita Gulliksen, another Napa County resident, agrees, “The smell of wildfire smoke does cause slight PTSD, which I feel many of us Napa County residents may experience and have shared with each other.”
These fires affect a lot of people and traumatize them. Knowles continues, “I do still feel concerned about the possibility of fires, and when I smell smoke late at night, it brings me back to the moments right before we had to evacuate.”
How To Learn About Fires In Your Area
Gulliksen shares how to protect your house: “We all can be smart and do common-sense things to protect our properties from future fires. Also, controlled burns by fire management agencies can hopefully help to decrease the intensity of future wildfires.”
You can learn more about fires in your area at https://www.fire.ca.gov/
The Pickett Fire
The Pickett Fire started on August 21st, 2025, around 3:00 PM. It burned 6,819 acres in the Napa and Sonoma area, and approximately 150 to 190 people were under mandatory evacuation orders, and around 360 to 500 people were under evacuation warnings. More than 2,000 firefighters were sent to fight the raging blaze. The cause is under investigation, but it is possible it started from ashes from a fireplace in a local winery. The fire is now 100% contained as of September 7th, says CAL FIRE. Evacuation orders were put in place near Pickett Rd, but have now been lifted. “Several area wineries are included in the evacuation zone, including Aetna Springs Cellars, Young Winery, and Last Resort Winery,” says Fox Weather. As a result, the wine harvest season was threatened, and wineries suffered $65 million in damage. Beehives and their owners were also affected by the Pickett Fire. Five structures were destroyed: one single-family residence and four outbuildings. According to CAL FIRE.
How Does the Pickett Fire Compare to the Glass Fire
The Glass Fire was another fire in the area that occurred on September 27, 2020. It got its name due to its origin near Glass Mountain Road in Deer Park, Napa County, and it also extended into Sonoma County. Similar to the Pickett Fire, it burned wineries and was in the Sonoma-Napa area. The Pickett Fire is quite similar to the Glass Fire, as it burned in the same geographical area and re-burned parts of the Glass Fire's 2020 footprint. And its vegetation regrowth was a factor in containing the 2025 Pickett Fire by providing lighter fuel.
How Do These Fires Happen, And Who And What Are Affected By Them
Some places are more vulnerable to fires, such as Napa County, Lid Soriano, a Napa County resident, says “Napa County is surrounded by lots of oak trees, hills, and [a lot of farm land] that have cleared out fuels-control burns…” due to that fires happen quite a lot there, the Glass Fire and the Pickett Fire aren’t the only ones. As I said, wineries were affected during the Pickett Fire because of the large number of farms in the area that thrive due to the favorable weather conditions.
Soriano mentioned that “I have family members in the Pope Valley area that had to evacuate in two days. I also have family who work picking grapes and prepping vineyard ranches to protect their crops. Family and friends worked in those terrible smoky conditions.”
In 2016, a major fire occurred in that area. Many had to evacuate, including Caitlin Knowles, an educational specialist and Napa resident. “During the fire in 2016, my son, who was about six years old at the time, and I, as well as our cat, had to hop in our car around 2 AM to evacuate our house. We were not the only people on the road trying to get out, so that was scary. We had to drive as far away.” This is an example of what thousands have to go through because of these fires.
Emirlita Gulliksen, another Napa County resident, agrees, “The smell of wildfire smoke does cause slight PTSD, which I feel many of us Napa County residents may experience and have shared with each other.”
These fires affect a lot of people and traumatize them. Knowles continues, “I do still feel concerned about the possibility of fires, and when I smell smoke late at night, it brings me back to the moments right before we had to evacuate.”
How To Learn About Fires In Your Area
Gulliksen shares how to protect your house: “We all can be smart and do common-sense things to protect our properties from future fires. Also, controlled burns by fire management agencies can hopefully help to decrease the intensity of future wildfires.”
You can learn more about fires in your area at https://www.fire.ca.gov/
