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Napa Prosecutors Charge Man With Starting Pickett Fire

Prosecutors charged a 45-year-old man with starting the Pickett Fire and causing millions in losses.

| Updated
The criminal case comes more than a year after the Pickett Fire started on Pickett Road in north Calistoga. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

NAPA VALLEY, CA — Prosecutors charged a Napa man with starting the Pickett Fire and causing more than $6 million in losses, Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley announced.

Prosecutors charged Juan Luis Gutierrez Marfil, 45, with felony recklessly causing a fire of a structure or forest. They also filed a special allegation that the offense caused more than $6 million in losses.

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Marfil is suspected of causing the Pickett Fire on Aug. 21, 2025, on the 2300 block of Pickett Road in north Calistoga.

The Napa County District Attorney's Office said it would release no further details about the incident as Deputy District Attorney Amy Bailey prepares the prosecution's case against Marfil.

The criminal prosecution is separate from pending civil proceedings related to the fire, and the District Attorney's Office said it would not comment on those matters.

Marfil is scheduled for an arraignment hearing at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 9, 2026, in Department 1 of Napa County Superior Court.

A helicopter drops water on the Pickett Fire burning in the Aetna Springs area of Napa County, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
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