Litigation may be pending over Napa’s Pickett fire
A month after the Pickett fire in Napa cost damage of more than $65million, some wineries seem to be gearing up for litigation.
San Diego law firm Singleton Schreiber, which specialises in fire litigation, has already signed up several wineries to a class-act case that would pursue the instigator of the fire, according to Wine Searcher
The firm’s website, which is offering free case evaluations, says a potential lawsuit could enable victims to pursue “compensation for business losses, evacuation costs, property loss, and more”.
The Pickett Fire started on 21 August in the north of Calistoga in Napa County, spreading through the terrain and burning more than 6,800 acres (2,759 ha), prompting widespread evacuation, before it was contained 17 days later. This included around 1,500 acres (607 ha) of farmland and vineyards, which accounts for more than 3% of Napa’s area under vine. Although most vineyards avoided direct fire damage, there was widespread smoke devastation at a particularly sensitive time for the grapes. An official early estimate puts the damage at around $65 million – although some feel that this may rise.
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Currently the cause of the fire is still being investigated, but several different scenarios have been reported in the local press. The law firm however cites initial reports that “indicate it may have been caused by improperly discarded ashes at a local vineyard”, while Wine Spectator reported last week that that attorneys representing the local vineyard had asked investigators to examine “a damaged battery inside a trailer” on its property, near where the fire is thought to have started.
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