Fire threatens Calistoga, a bucolic Wine Country town and popular tourist destination. (Credit: Billy McDonald/Adobe Stock)

(Bloomberg) — Firefighters are battling to contain a blaze that erupted near the California tourist town of Calistoga on Thursday, prompting the evacuation of nearby wineries and some rural residences.

The Pickett Fire spread rapidly through dry vegetation and now spans nearly 3.3 square miles (8.6 square kilometers) across the hills of Napa Valley wine country, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. About 350 firefighters were dispatched to fight the blaze overnight and teams are using three helicopters with night-flying capabilities to help douse the flames.

“Currently, we have zero percent containment, no structures damaged and no injuries,” Battalion Chief Bob Todeschini said in an update posted to X.

A state camera feed showed a large plume of smoke emerging from the side of a mountain overlooking Calistoga. There are a number of evacuation orders and warnings in place near the town.

California is entering peak wildfire season, after months of intense heat with little rain dried out vegetation. The state currently has nine active fires, including the massive Gifford Fire, which has charred more than 200 square miles in mostly remote terrain in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.

An increasing risk for fires will take hold through the weekend before a dip in temperatures early next week helps mitigate the danger, the National Weather Service said in an update late Thursday evening.

Heat warnings are in effect near Napa and across much of California, with temperatures set to climb as high as 100 degrees over the coming days. Low humidity will dry out fuels and make them more flammable, while a chance of thunderstorms may bring lightning strikes that can start new fires, creating dangerous weather conditions.

Wildfires in the West have been growing more intense as rising global temperatures trigger whiplashes between parching droughts and drenching rains that drive vegetation growth and raise the risk of mudslides on fire-scarred terrain. Southern California is still reeling from deadly fires in January, which destroyed thousands of homes in and around Los Angeles.

Europe has also been scorched by fires this summer. Four major heat waves and strong winds have led to the most destructive season in nearly 20 years, including the worst blaze to hit France in more than seven decades.

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