A wildfire that started Aug. 21 near Calistoga burned about 6,800 acres and prompted multiple evacuations before containment efforts reduced its spread, county officials said. Napa County declared a local emergency on Aug. 25 to help secure state and federal resources for firefighting, recovery and reimbursement.

The county and CAL FIRE mobilized large resources to fight the blaze. “At the fire's peak, more than 2,700 firefighters worked around the clock to contain the fire, navigating difficult terrain and hot summer temperatures,” Napa County communications staff said. CAL FIRE reported deploying 46 engines, seven hand crews, 24 dozers, four water tenders and 10 air tankers, and using more than 76,000 gallons of fire retardant. The Calistoga Fairgrounds served as the initial incident command post before coordination moved to the Napa Valley Expo as response needs grew.

Napa County Deputy Fire Chief JC Greenberg, who updated the Board of Supervisors on the response, praised local knowledge and firefighter efforts: “I am proud of this team to be a part of this Napa County Fire Department. The response all the way through the fire, their understanding of the community themselves, and also where these historical lines are. This is the local knowledge that makes a difference of containing these fires in these early stages and and not not letting them get larger or devastating the community.”

Early damage assessments reported four outbuildings destroyed and one single-family residence believed to have been abandoned because of its remote location. County staff provided an early estimate that Napa County agricultural producers have suffered at least $65,000,000 in losses. CAL FIRE continues its investigation into the cause of the fire.

County officials urged residents in unincorporated areas to maintain defensible space and to use the county chipping program, which will chip debris for free. The county also encouraged residents to sign up for emergency alerts at readynapacounty.gov or by texting their ZIP code to 888777. For official updates, the county directed residents to countyofnapa.org.

Recovery work and the investigation are ongoing; county officials said the emergency declaration is intended to help the county access additional support and reimbursement options.