A worker at a Calistoga vineyard being investigated as the possible origin of Napa County’s destructive Pickett Fire told investigators he poured water on a pile of ashes that were discarded before the blaze began.
Cal Fire questioned a contract worker, whose name is unknown, who was working on an outdoor fireplace at Hundred Acre Wines shortly before the fire broke out just over two weeks ago, according to Sam Singer, a public relations strategist who represents the company.
“Officials are looking into the possibility that ashes from a newly completed outdoor fireplace could be the source of the Pickett Fire,” Singer said in a statement on Friday.
He said the worker had been “tempering” the fireplace, which is the process of gradually heating and cooling the hearth’s materials to strengthen and cure them.
“The contractor removed the ashes after the fire, put them in a bucket, doused them with water and then discarded them,” Singer said.
According to Cal Fire, to safely discard fireplace ashes, they should be placed in a covered, metal container at least 10 feet away from any buildings.
Cal Fire told KQED that investigators were looking into “all potential sources to determine the cause of the fire.”
The destructive Pickett Fire broke out on the afternoon of Aug. 21 just east of Calistoga, quickly ripping through steep, hard-to-access terrain overnight and into the following day. Over the last two weeks, it has scorched nearly 7,000 acres of California’s wine country, destroying five buildings, threatening more than 100 others and potentially harming soon-to-be-harvested wine grapes growing in the area.
On Tuesday, Cal Fire lifted all evacuation orders and warnings that had forced a few dozen residents to flee their homes, and as of Friday, fire crews had reached 90% containment on the blaze.
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