A local health emergency has been declared in Napa County due to the Pickett Fire, County Public Health Officer Christine Wu said Monday.  

Wu signed the emergency proclamation in response to “imminent environmental threats to safe water supplies and hazardous waste and materials” created by the fire, the county said.  

The Pickett Fire began Thursday in a rural area of Calistoga and by the weekend had grown to over 6,800 acres. Evacuation orders and warnings have gone out for some residents.  

According to the county, debris from the fast-moving fire can become hazardous waste that impacts local watershed areas, making them a threat to public health.  

“In light of these impacts, the proclamation authorizes immediate action to be taken to address the removal of any hazardous waste and materials within the fire-affected area that are toxic, flammable, corrosive, or reactive, as well as allow for potential preventive measures to be undertaken,” said the county in a Monday release.  

The county said it is being proactive by pinpointing recovery efforts even as the fire continues to burn.  

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)

“This declaration will allow for faster restoration to any infrastructure impacted by the fire,” the county said.  

Wu said the proclamation is a necessary step for the county to possibly access state and federal resources to support firefighting operations, recovery, and reimbursement for extraordinary costs incurred during the emergency.  

For updates and resources on the Pickett Fire, visit countyofnapa.org/CivicAlerts. 

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.