A local health emergency has been declared in Napa County due to the Pickett Fire, County Public Health Officer Christine Wu said Monday.
Wu signed the emergency proclamation in response to “imminent environmental threats to safe water supplies and hazardous waste and materials” created by the fire, the county said.
The Pickett Fire began Thursday in a rural area of Calistoga and by the weekend had grown to over 6,800 acres. Evacuation orders and warnings have gone out for some residents.
According to the county, debris from the fast-moving fire can become hazardous waste that impacts local watershed areas, making them a threat to public health.
“In light of these impacts, the proclamation authorizes immediate action to be taken to address the removal of any hazardous waste and materials within the fire-affected area that are toxic, flammable, corrosive, or reactive, as well as allow for potential preventive measures to be undertaken,” said the county in a Monday release.
The county said it is being proactive by pinpointing recovery efforts even as the fire continues to burn.
“This declaration will allow for faster restoration to any infrastructure impacted by the fire,” the county said.
Wu said the proclamation is a necessary step for the county to possibly access state and federal resources to support firefighting operations, recovery, and reimbursement for extraordinary costs incurred during the emergency.
For updates and resources on the Pickett Fire, visit countyofnapa.org/CivicAlerts.
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