Pickett Fire grows to nearly 6,000 acres, firefighters battling ‘challenging’ conditions into Sunday morning

(By Anna Armstrong, The Press Democrat) The Pickett Fire, the largest wildfire in the region this year, saw containment rise slightly Saturday after burning almost 6,000 acres in Napa County, prompting new evacuations and challenging fire control lines.

In a Saturday evening update, Cal Fire officials said the weather presented challenges in the afternoon with wind pushing the smoke further into Aetna Springs. Smoke conditions temporarily grounded firefighting aircraft, officials said, and windy conditions were expected to continue overnight. In the update, Cal Fire spokesperson Jason Clay said the day had been “challenging” for fire fighters and said the fire pushed “aggressively east.” Still, he said firefighters have been able to hold control lines. Containment remained at 11% as of 9: