Officials in Napa County are warning residents not to eat foraged wild mushrooms after three people were hospitalized over the weekend.  

Three adults, none of which were Napa County residents, were sent to the hospital after eating wild mushrooms they foraged in the Deer Park area of the county; specifically, Deer Park Road, Fawn Road and Silverado Trail.  

The county stressed that poisonous mushrooms can be found anywhere and the winter rains created mass bloomings of the fungi. The county said that the state is facing “unprecedented” poisonings from these mushrooms, with 47 cases and four deaths reported since Nov. 18, 2025.  

“Poisonous mushrooms can look and taste similar to safe mushrooms and even experienced mushroom hunters have been affected by this outbreak,” said Dr. Christine Wu, Napa County’s public health officer, in a statement released Tuesday.  

The best way to stay safe is to not eat wild mushrooms, the county said. Keep an eye on children and pets, who could go near the unsafe mushrooms outside. Cooking, boiling, freezing or drying the mushrooms does not make them safe to eat.  

Anyone who may have eaten a poisonous mushroom should seek medical care immediately and call the California Poison Control Hotline at 1-800-222-1222.  

Symptoms may not appear until 6 to 24 hours after ingestion, the county said. They may start off mild but can rapidly become fatal.  

“Do not wait for symptoms to appear, as treatment is more difficult once they begin,” the county said.  

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.