Rural California Wine Country Fire Burning Out of Control

Firefighters will battle intense heat and dry weather Friday as they work to control a fast-moving blaze in the heart of California’s wine country.

The Pickett Fire exploded in the hills above the tourist town of Calistoga in the Napa Valley Thursday afternoon, triggering evacuations from nearby wineries and a handful of rural neighborhoods. What started as a small brush fire has now consumed at least 2131 acres (862 hectares), according to the California Depatment of Forestry and Fire Protection. That’s about 97 times the size of the San Francisco 49ers football stadium.

The fire is burning out of control in dry terrain in the midst of a days-long heat wave, which has settled over much of California. Temperatures near the fire line are expected to soar to 97F (36C) Friday, with low humidity and almost no chance of rain well into the weekend.

“Winds thankfully aren’t overly strong,” National Weather Service forecasters said in an update Friday morning. However, “elevated fire weather concerns remain.”

About 350 firefighters were dispatched to fight the blaze overnight. Teams were using three helicopters with night-flying capabilities to help douse the flames, according to Cal Fire.

“Currently, we have zero percent containment, no structures damaged and no injuries,” Battalion Chief Bob Todeschini said in an update posted to X Thursday night.

California is entering peak wildfire season, after months of intense heat with little rain dried out vegetation. The state currently has nine active fires, including the massive Gifford Fire that has charred more than 131,000 acres in mostly remote terrain in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.

A state camera feed showed glowing flames and heavy plumes of smoke rising from a mountainside into the early morning sky above Calistoga. There are a number of evacuation orders and warnings in place near the town. Residents were directed to take shelter at a local church.

Fire risk will continue to rise throughout the weekend — particularly in Southern California — before a dip in temperatures early next week helps mitigate the danger, the US Storm Prediction Center said in an update Thursday.

Heat warnings are in effect near Napa and across much of the state, with temperatures set to climb above 100F (38C) over the coming days. Low humidity will dry out fuels and make them more flammable, while a chance of thunderstorms may bring lightning strikes that can start new fires, creating dangerous weather conditions.

Wildfires in the US West have been growing more intense as rising global temperatures trigger whiplashes between parching droughts and drenching rains that drive vegetation growth and raise the risk of mudslides on fire-scarred terrain. Southern California is still reeling from deadly fires in January, which destroyed thousands of homes in and around Los Angeles.

Europe has also been scorched by fires this summer. Four major heat waves and strong winds have led to the most destructive season in nearly 20 years, including the worst blaze to hit France in more than seven decades.