Man Accused Of Pickett Fire Pleads Not Guilty

NAPA VALLEY, CA — A man facing felony charges in the Pickett Fire, which burned 6,820 acres and destroyed a residence in August 2025, pleaded not guilty.

Juan Luis Gutierrez Marfil, 45, entered the plea in Napa County Superior Court on Sept. 9, Napa Valley Features reported.

Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley announced the charges Aug. 27.

Prosecutors charged Marfil with recklessly causing a fire of a structure or forest and added a special allegation that the offense caused more than $6 million in losses.

The fire began Aug. 21, 2025, in the 2300 block of Pickett Road in north Calistoga.

The blaze scorched roughly 10 square miles over 17 days, forced evacuations, destroyed property, and tainted wine grapes. Health officials declared a health emergency.

In 2025, Cal Fire investigators examined whether smoldering ashes deposited in a Calistoga vineyard owned by Hundred Acre Wines played a role in igniting the Pickett Fire.

Hundred Acre Wines is described as an ultra-premium cult Cabernet Sauvignon producer in St. Helena. The winery also owns a vineyard at 2339 Pickett Road, near the fire’s starting point at 2343 Pickett Road.

Marfil was working as a contract gardener for Hundred Acre at the time. He thought the ashes had been extinguished, according to reports.

Napa County supervisors declared an emergency Aug. 24, three days after the fire began, citing extreme peril to people and property.

In 2025, Cal Fire began investigating whether ashes handled by an independent contractor who thought they had been extinguished could have sparked the blaze.

The criminal prosecution proceeds separately from civil litigation over the fire. Marfil's next hearing is Dec. 7.