Improperly disposed ashes may have caused the vineyard fire in Napa Valley
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Ashes Under Scrutiny in Pickett Fire Investigation as Blaze Scorches Napa Valley
NAPA COUNTY, CA
As the Pickett Fire continues to burn through nearly 7,000 acres of Napa Valley’s wine country, Cal Fire investigators are zeroing in on a possible cause: improperly discarded ashes at a vineyard.
Sources familiar with the investigation told NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit that a contract worker at Hundred Acre Wines may have removed ashes from what was believed to be a safely cooled oven and placed them on a pile of flammable material. The fire erupted on the afternoon of August 21 along Pickett Road, a corridor lined with vineyards, and has since prompted evacuations and threatened critical infrastructure.
Representatives from Hundred Acre Wines, founded by winemaker Jayson Woodbridge and his wife Helen, confirmed that both a contractor and a vineyard manager were interviewed by fire officials on Tuesday. Sam Singer, spokesperson for the LLC that owns the vineyard, said the company is cooperating fully with the investigation but declined to comment further.
Initial radio dispatches had suggested the fire may have stemmed from an “escaped controlled burn,” but Cal Fire spokesperson Tyree Zander stated Wednesday that the cause remains under investigation.
In a statement issued shortly after the fire began, Woodbridge described the intense conditions: “I manned the hoses since yesterday afternoon, and we stood guard all night. No damage to the winery, no damage to the house. … Hundreds and hundreds of firemen deployed doing a great job and, you know, no idea how the fire started except it was 105 degrees yesterday and the wind blowing about 15-20 mph.”
As of Wednesday morning, containment stood at approximately 25%, with crews battling steep terrain and dry conditions. The Pickett Fire is one of several major wildfires currently burning across the western U.S., including the Garnet Fire in California’s Sierra National Forest, the Lee Fire in Colorado—now the state’s fourth-largest—and the Flat Fire near Sisters, Oregon, which has consumed over 23,000 acres2.
Officials continue to urge caution and preparedness as investigations unfold and containment efforts press on.
Photo Credit: Creative Commons License
View from Mumm in Napa Valley California
Date: 13 December 2008, 12:40:07
Source: originally posted to Flickr as Autumn in the vineyards
Author: John Morgan