Evacuations Ordered For California Wine Country Residents Amid Wildfire
on Aug 25, 2025
Over 6,000 Acres Have Burned Since Fire Started On August 21
As a fire rages in Napa County in Northern California, mandatory evacuation orders have been issued to residents living in close proximity to the blaze in the state’s wine country.
Presently, at 7:30 a.m. (PST) on Monday, August 25, the Pickett Fire is only 13% contained, having consumed 6,803 acres of land.
Around midnight, the fire was 11% contained, according to ABC News.
About The Fire
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), the fire began in Calistoga, California, on August 21, and a cause has yet to be determined.
When the fire started, it had only crossed over 15 acres. Within the next 10 hours, the fire had crossed over 1,200 acres.
Within the reach of the fire are 615 structures, with approximately 100 homes that house approximately 190 residents.
Providing an update on the fire, CAL FIRE said, “Fire activity was moderated Sunday. Firefighters made good progress strengthening containment lines and mopping up hot spots.”
Notably, “some evacuation orders were downgraded” to an evacuation warning “on the west side of the fire line in the area where the fire started.”
Still, CAL FIRE noted, “The potential for fire growth still exists.”
Continuing, CAL FIRE stated:
“Due to the remote, steep, and rugged terrain, some firefighters are being flown in to access the fire. Night-flying helicopters have also been deployed.”
Further, the agency advised the public “that flying drones over the incident area is prohibited as it can ground vital air resources.”
As of August 25, CAL FIRE reports that there have been 2,045 personnel in 53 crews working to stop the fire, with 10 helicopters, 205 fire engines, 67 dozers, and 23 water tenders.
While giving an update on the Pickett Fire on August 24, CAL FIRE Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit Chief Matt Ryan said, “Where the fire sits today, we anticipate probably seven to 10 days [to extinguish the fire].”
Citing investments in fire prevention, and praising volunteer firefighters, Ryan added, “Napa County is much more prepared today than it was five years ago.”
As of this update, only 150 residents had been evacuated.
Watch the August 24 Pickett Fire update, here:
Wildfires In California
In his first week in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on January 24 to provide water resources and improve disaster response regarding the wildfires in Los Angeles.
Describing California’s policies as “disastrous,” the executive order stated, “This tragedy affects the entire Nation, so it is in the Nation’s interest to ensure that California has what it needs to prevent and fight these fires and others in the future.”
From January 7 to January 31, approximately 14 wildfires in Southern California devastated over 57,000 acres of land, forcing over 200,000 residents to evacuate.
Trump has been critical of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s policies, particularly regarding “raking,” which removes underbrush and debris from land to prevent wildfires.
On July 1, Newsom sent a model executive order to the White House, dubbed “Make America Rake Again.”
In it, Newsom looked to the 57% of forests in California that are owned by the federal government.
Noting that from 2017 to 2020, the years of Trump’s first presidential term, there were 21 million acres of federal land burned, the model executive order then states, “The federal government should lead, and at a minimum match states and local governments, in making investments and implementing policies to protect communities from the threats posed by wildland fires originating on or burning through federally managed lands.”
Further, Newsom’s model executive order states that from 2024 to 2025, California invested $4 billion to protect the state’s forests. He then compared that to the federal government’s $7 billion allotted to protect the nation’s 238 million acres of forest land.
Read the California governor’s model executive order, which was submitted to the White House, here.
