Since 2017, about half of the acres in Napa County have burned. Now fire officials, industry organizers and local government are saying “never again.”
“NEVER AGAIN”
SOURCES: Cal Fire; Napa County Emergency Operations Center; Napa Valley Register research by Sean Scully
Of the 20 most destructive wildfires in California history, 12 have burned since 2017. Of those fires, five burned at least in part in Napa County. On the list of 26 counties scorched by those 20 fires, Napa and Sonoma appear five times each, more than any other.
Napa’s destructive fire history
Galleries of recent wildfires
The charred remains of one of the many destroyed homes near Silverado Resort as a result of the Atlas Fire.
Lightning
2020
Glass
2020
County
2018
Tubbs
2017
Nuns
2017
Atlas
2017
Lightning
2020
Glass
2020
County
2018
Tubbs
2017
Nuns
2017
Atlas
2017
Lightning
2020
Glass
2020
County
2018
Tubbs
2017
Nuns
2017
Atlas
2017
Lightning
2020
Glass
2020
County
2018
Tubbs
2017
Nuns
2017
Atlas
2017
Lightning
2020
Glass
2020
County
2018
Tubbs
2017
Nuns
2017
Atlas
2017
J.L. Sousa, Napa Valley Register
The smoldering remains of a home destroyed at Silverado Country Club by the Atlas Fire.
J.L. Sousa, Napa Valley Register
A home burns at Silverado Country Club from the Atlas Fire.
J.L. Sousa, Napa Valley Register
Flames on Atlas Peak as seen from the valley floor at 1 a.m. Monday, Oct. 9, 2017.
Henry Lutz, Napa Valley Register
Volunteer firefighter Noah Barela, 19, of Arizona, hoses down hot spots in a fire zone on the 5000 block of Dry Creek Road during the Nuns Fire, Oct. 14, 2017.
Maria Sestito, Napa Valley Register
Volunteer firefighters from Arizona stand by as Fire Chief Jerry McGraw uses a chainsaw to cut down fire-weakened trees in a fire zone on the 5000 block of Dry Creek Road.
Maria Sestito, Napa Valley Register
A helicopter lowers itself toward an irrigation basin amid the vineyards of Highway 29 in Oakville during firefighting efforts against the Nuns Fire.
Howard Yune, Napa Valley Register
Fire Chief Jerry McGraw of Arizona’s White Mountain Lake Fire District hoses down some burning trees on the 5000 block of Dry Creek Road during the Nuns Fire, Oct. 14, 2017.
Maria Sestito Napa Valley Register
Sterling Vineyards, just south of Calistoga, is seen through a haze of smoke, the result of various wildfires in the area. An evacuation order for the entire town of Calistoga remained in place.
J.L. Sousa, Napa Valley Register
John and Suzanne Fouts point down to an area where a walk-in refrigerator stood, where their son and some of Mountain Home Ranch guests took refuge from the Tubbs Fire.
Anne Ward Ernst, Weekly Calistogan
A firefighter holds a water hose while fighting a wildfire in Santa Rosa, Calif. Investigators say the deadly 2017 Tubbs wildfire that killed 22 people in California's wine country was caused by a private electrical system.
Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press
A firefighter walks near a flaming house in Santa Rosa, Calif. Investigators say the deadly 2017 Tubbs wildfire that killed 22 people in California's wine country was caused by a private electrical system.
Jeff Chiu, Associated Press
A wildfire burns near Lake Berryessa in Napa, Calif., July 1, 2018. Smoke from the Yolo County fire was contributing to poor air quality in Napa, Sonoma, San Mateo and San Francisco counties.
Paul Kitagaki Jr., The Sacramento Bee
Flames from the County fire burn above Cache Creek Casino Resort on Sunday, July 1, 2018, in Capay, Calif.
Noah Berger, Associated Press
Hot Shot crews from Mendocino use backfires to help contain the County Fire along Highway 129 near Lake Berryessa in Yolo County, California, Tuesday, July 3, 2018.
Randall Benton, The Sacramento Bee
Fire burns the hillsides as the County Fire continues along Highway 129 near Lake Berryessa in Yolo County, California, Tuesday, July 3, 2018.
Randall Benton, The Sacramento Bee
A wildfire burns grasses at a livestock ranch in Guinda, Calif., Sunday July 1, 2018. Evacuations were ordered as dry, hot winds fueled a wildfire burning out of control in rural Northern California.
Noah Berger, Associated Press
An air tanker drops retardant on the Glass Fire burning above Davis Estates winery in Calistoga, Calif., on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020.
Noah Berger, Associated Press
Flames from the Glass Fire consume the Black Rock Inn, late Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020, in St. Helena, Calif.
Noah Berger, Associated Press
The Glass Fire burns a hillside above Silverado Trail in St. Helena, Calif., on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020.
Noah Berger, Associated Press
A firefighter battles the Glass Fire burning in Calistoga, Calif., on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020.
Noah Berger, Associated Press
Flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires lick above a fire truck in unincorporated Napa County, Calif., Aug. 18, 2020.
Noah Berger, Associated Press
The LNU Lightning Complex fires tear through the Spanish Flat community in unincorporated Napa County, Calif., Aug. 18, 2020.
Noah Berger, Associated Press
An air tanker drops retardant as the LNU Lightning Complex fires tear through the Spanish Flat community in unincorporated Napa County, Calif., Aug. 18, 2020.
Noah Berger, Associated Press
Flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires burn in unincorporated Napa County, Calif., Aug. 18, 2020. Fire crews across the region scrambled to contain dozens of wildfires sparked by lightning strikes as a statewide heat wave continues.
Noah Berger, Associated Press
A flag flies as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires crest a ridge, Aug. 18, 2020, in Napa County, Calif. The blaze went on to destroy multiple homes near Lake Berryessa.
Noah Berger, Associated Press
Noah Berger, Associated Press
Lightning
2020
Glass
2020
County
2018
Tubbs
2017
Nuns
2017
Atlas
2017
Tubbs: 2017
Nuns: 2017
Atlas: 2017
Lightning: 2020
Glass: 2020
County: 2018
Tubbs: 2017
Nuns: 2017
Atlas: 2017
Lightning: 2020
Glass: 2020
County: 2018
Tubbs: 2017
Nuns: 2017
Atlas: 2017
Lightning: 2020
Glass: 2020
County: 2018
Tubbs: 2017
Nuns: 2017
Atlas: 2017
Lightning: 2020
Glass: 2020
County: 2018
Tubbs: 2017
Nuns: 2017
Atlas: 2017
Lightning: 2020
Glass: 2020
County: 2018
Tubbs: 2017
Nuns: 2017
Atlas: 2017
It’s more than just the flames
For weeks in the past four fire seasons, the North Bay has been swathed in clouds of smoke from elsewhere, closing schools, driving residents indoors, and turning the sunlight an unearthly blood red.
Smoke
In an effort to keep its aging infrastructure from igniting new blazes, PG&E has been shutting off electricity during windy, dry weather, cutting off power to thousands in rural areas and small cities.
Electricity
The extended shutoffs, on top of the fire and smoke, have dealt a devastating blow to tourism and made life ever more difficult for residents.
Tourism
A firefighter battles the Glass Fire burning in Calistoga, Calif., on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020.
Noah Berger, Associated Press
For weeks in the past four fire seasons, the North Bay has been swathed in clouds of smoke from elsewhere, closing schools, driving residents indoors, and turning the sunlight an unearthly blood red.
Smoke
In an effort to keep its aging infrastructure from igniting new blazes, PG&E has been shutting off electricity during windy, dry weather, cutting off power to thousands in rural areas and small cities.
Electricity
Associated Press