Worker Accused of Starting the Pickett Fire Pleads Not Guilty

Juan Luis Gutierrez Marfil, 45, of Napa, has pleaded not guilty in Napa County Superior Court to a felony charge of recklessly causing the August 2025 Pickett Fire, which burned 6,820 acres and a residence on and around a Pickett Road property owned by vintner Jayson Woodbridge. A Cal Fire filing says he admitted disposing of hot ashes into a burn pile. Three Howell Mountain wine companies have sued Woodbridge and his Hundred Acre affiliates over smoke-damaged grapes, and the defendants have moved the case to federal court and asked for dismissal. The PlumpJack Group has already settled with Hundred Acre, and an attorney says 20 to 30 other growers are weighing their options.

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