Napa Valley vineyard employee charged with beginning 2025 Pickett Fireplace

A vineyard employee has been charged with beginning the devastating wildfire in 2025 that precipitated $56 million in winegrape losses in Napa Valley.

Legal costs had been filed on Thursday towards Juan Luis Gutierrez Marfil, 45, of Napa, for allegedly beginning the Pickett Fireplace, in line with the Napa County District Lawyer’s workplace.

Marfil, who labored for the Hundred Acre Vineyard, has been charged with a felony for recklessly inflicting a hearth of a construction or forest, the DA mentioned. He’s additionally going through a particular allegation that the offense precipitated greater than $6 million in losses.

Within the felony criticism, Marfil “admitted to Cal Fireplace Regulation Enforcement of the disposing of sizzling ashes right into a burn pile, which precipitated the Pickett Fireplace,” the Press Democrat reported.

The hearth devastated wineries throughout the realm, with dozens of growers dropping their crops to smoke taint — a situation that happens when wildfire smoke permeates the grapes and ruins the fruit.

The monetary loss to wineries within the space has been estimated by Napa County at $56 million and that doesn’t embody one other $1.7 million for different agriculture gadgets and constructions.

A preliminary evaluation from Napa County discovered harm to greater than 3% of Napa Valley’s farmland, SF Chronicle reported.

A spokesperson for the Hundred Acre vineyard, owned by Jayson Woodbridge, mentioned Marfil was not certainly one of their workers, however was contracted to do work for them.

Marfil is accused of beginning the blaze on August 21, 2025, on the 2300 block of Pickett Highway in north Calistoga. It led to evacuations, destroyed a house and a number of other buildings, burning greater than 6,800 acres.

Gusty winds mixed with triple-digit temperatures precipitated the flames to rapidly unfold via the hillsides and canyons. 

Greater than 2,000 emergency personnel responded to the blaze that lasted 17 days earlier than it was lastly out.

Earlier this month, a handful of wine growers sued Woodbridge and his vineyard over tens of millions of {dollars} in crop losses, alleging the hearth started on property owned by Woodbridge and Hundred Acre Vineyard.

Sam Singer, spokesman for Hundred Acre Wines, mentioned “The Napa County Deputy DA has investigated the Pickett Fireplace and located no foundation to file a felony case towards the Hundred Acre associates that personal and function the Pickett Highway property.”

“We agree with that evaluation and are happy we now have been cleared by the DA’s workplace.”

Marfil is due again in court docket for an arraignment listening to on September 9.

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