All articles tagged with #napa county
A wildfire in California's Napa County, called the Pickett Fire, has burned nearly 6,803 acres since Thursday, prompting mandatory evacuations and ongoing firefighting efforts, with the cause still under investigation amid a regional heat wave.
The Pickett fire in Napa County, fueled by hot and dry conditions, has grown to 6,803 acres, prompting evacuations and threatening homes and vineyards, but firefighters have contained 11% of it with no confirmed structural damage as of Sunday.
Evacuations are underway in Napa County, California, as the Pickett Fire burns nearly 4,690 acres with only 7% containment, while other wildfires, including the Flat Fire in Oregon, threaten communities amid dry conditions. The Pickett Fire, distinct from the 2020 Glass Fire, is fueled by slope and fuels without extreme weather, and extensive firefighting resources are deployed to contain it.
Health officials in Sonoma and Napa counties are monitoring new COVID-19 subvariants, referred to as FLiRT, through wastewater. These subvariants, which include strains like JN.1 and KP, are more transmissible but do not cause more severe disease. Current levels are low, and officials recommend following standard health guidelines such as vaccination, hand washing, and masking to protect against the virus.
A resident in Napa County, California, died and five others were put on ventilators after contracting Legionnaires' disease from contaminated tap water. The outbreak, which occurred in July 2022, was traced back to poorly-maintained water system cooling towers that allowed bacteria to contaminate the water supply. A total of 14 confirmed cases and three suspected cases were reported, with 10 patients requiring intensive care and five needing ventilators. Investigations revealed a lack of proper maintenance at the facilities, including low levels of chlorine in the cooling towers. Legionnaires' disease can be life-threatening and is typically spread through air conditioning units, showers, and tap water.
Two cyclists, identified as Christian Deaton, 52, and Michelle Deaton, 48, visiting from Portland, Oregon, were killed in Napa County when a load of wood in the back of a flatbed truck shifted and struck them. Christian Deaton was pronounced dead at the scene, while Michelle Deaton succumbed to her injuries at the hospital. The driver of the truck remained at the scene, and the cause of the collision is under investigation. The Napa County Bicycle Coalition expressed their condolences and called for safer streets for all road users.