The Pickett Fire burns in unincorporated Napa County, Calif. on the evening of Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. The Pickett Fire started on Thursday, Aug. 21 in Calistoga. As of Monday, Aug. 25, it has burned 6,803 acres and is 13% contained. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. (Cal Fire via Bay City News)

The Pickett Fire which has burned just over 6,800 acres in Napa County is estimated to have cost at least $65 million in agricultural losses as well, the county said.  

Figures from a Napa County Agricultural Damage Assessment Survey begun on Monday show reported damage to about 1,500 acres, or over 3 percent of Napa Valley’s produce acreage, the county said.  

Losses are estimated to impact growers, vintners and other agricultural producers. The majority of damage is to winegrapes and beehives.  

According to the survey, 20 percent of ag producers reported fire or heat damage, with 80 percent reporting potential smoke impacts.  

“The estimates will inform a damage assessment report,” said the county in a Wednesday release, “which may help qualify the county and its agricultural producers for state and federal assistance.”  

As of Wednesday evening, the Pickett Fire was 29 percent contained. The blaze, which began Thursday afternoon near the 2300 block of Pickett Road near Calistoga, has prompted several evacuation orders and warnings.  

According to Cal Fire, large chunks of dead timber are fueling the persistent flames. 

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.