Santa Ana winds in California expand fires and spread smoke over hundreds of miles, as in this October 2007 satellite image
The
Rim Fire consumed more than 250,000 acres (100,000 ha) of forest near
Yosemite National Park , in 2013
This is a partial and incomplete list of
California
wildfires . California has dry, windy, and often hot weather conditions from spring through late autumn that can produce moderate to severe wildfires. Pre-1800, when the area was much more forested and the ecology much more resilient, 4.4 million acres (1.8 million hectares) of forest and shrubland burned annually.
[1] California land area totals 99,813,760 or roughly 100 million acres, so since 2000, the area that burned annually has ranged between 90,000 acres, or 0.09%, and 1,590,000 acres, or 1.59% of the total land of California.
[2] During the
2020 wildfire season alone, over 8,100 fires contributed to the burning of nearly 4.5 million acres of land.
Wildfires in California are growing more dangerous because of the accumulation of wood fuel in forests, higher population and greater electricity transmission and distribution lines.
[3]
[4]
[5]
United States
taxpayers pay about
US$ 3 billion a year to fight wildfires, and big fires can lead to billions of dollars in property losses.
[6] At times, these wildfires are fanned or made worse by strong, dry winds, known as
Diablo winds when they occur in the
northern part of the state and
Santa Ana winds when they occur in the
south . However, from a historical perspective, it has been estimated that prior to 1850, about 4.5 million acres (17,000 km2 ) burned yearly, in fires that lasted for months, with wildfire activity peaking roughly every 30 years, when up to 11.8 million acres (47,753 km³) of land burned.
[7]
[8] The much larger wildfire seasons in the past can be attributed to the policy of
Native Californians regularly setting
controlled burns and allowing natural fires to run their course, which prevented devastating wildfires from overrunning the state.
[7]
More than 350,000 people in California live in towns sited completely within zones deemed to be at very high risk of fire. In total, more than 2.7 million people live in "very high fire hazard severity zones", which also include areas at lesser risk.
[9]
On lands under CAL FIRE's jurisdictional protection (i.e. not federal or local responsibility areas), the majority of wildfire ignitions since 1980 have been caused by humans. The four most common ignition sources for wildfires on CAL FIRE-protected lands are, in order: equipment use, powerlines, arson, and lightning.
[10]
A 2023 study found that these wildfires are affecting the California ecosystem and disrupting the habitats.
[11]
[12] It found that in the 2020 and 2021 fire seasons 58% of the area affected by wildfires occurred in those two seasons since 2012.
[11]
[13] These two fires destroyed 30% of the habitat of 50 species as well as 100 species that had 10% of their habitats burn. 5-14% of the species' habitats burned at a "high severity."
[14]
[15]
Statistics
Area burned per year
Remains of houses destroyed in the
Oakland firestorm of 1991
Satellite image from October, 2003 including Cedar Fire, one of the largest wildfires in California history
Starting in 2001, the
National Interagency Fire Center began keeping more accurate records on the total fire acreage burned in each state.
[16]
Year
Fires
Acres
Hectares
Ref
2000
7,622
295,026
119,393
[17]
2001
9,458
329,126
133,193
[18]
2002
8,328
969,890
392,500
[19]
[20]
2003
9,116
1,020,460
412,970
[21]
[22]
[23]
2004
8,415
264,988
107,237
[24]
[25]
2005
7,162
222,538
90,058
[26]
[27]
2006
8,202
736,022
297,858
[28]
[29]
2007
9,093
1,520,362
615,269
[17]
[30]
2008
6,255
1,593,690
644,940
[17]
2009
9,159
422,147
170,837
[31]
[32]
2010
6,554
109,529
44,325
[33]
2011
7,989
168,545
68,208
[34]
[35]
2012
7,950
869,599
351,914
[36]
2013
9,907
601,635
243,473
[37]
[38]
2014
7,865
625,540
253,150
[39]
[40]
2015
8,745
893,362
361,531
[41]
2016
6,986
669,534
270,951
[42]
[43]
2017
9,560
1,548,429
626,627
[44]
[45]
2018
8,527
1,975,086
799,289
[46]
[47]
2019
7,860
259,823
105,147
[48]
2020
9,639
4,397,809
1,779,730
[49]
2021
8,835
2,568,948
1,039,616
[50]
2022
7,490
362,455
146,680
[51]
2000-22 Mean
8,292
974,980
394,560
2000-22 Median
8,328
669,534
270,951
A 2015 study
[52] addressed whether the increase in fire risk in California is attributable to climate change.
[53]
Largest wildfires
The 20 largest wildfires according to the
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection .
[54]
Name
County
Acres
Hectares
Start date
Structures
Deaths
Notes
1.
August Complex
Glenn ,
Lake ,
Mendocino ,
Tehama ,
Trinity ,
Shasta
1,032,648
417,898
August 2020
935
1
2.
Dixie
Butte ,
Lassen ,
Plumas ,
Shasta ,
Tehama
963,309
389,837
July 2021
1,329
1
Largest single source wildfire in California history
[55]
3.
Mendocino Complex
Mendocino ,
Lake ,
Colusa ,
Glenn
459,123
185,800
July 2018
280
1
4.
SCU Lightning Complex
Santa Clara ,
Alameda ,
Contra Costa ,
San Joaquin ,
Merced ,
Stanislaus
396,624
160,508
August 2020
222
0
5.
Creek
Fresno ,
Madera
379,895
153,738
September 2020
856
0
6.
LNU Lightning Complex
Colusa ,
Lake ,
Napa ,
Sonoma ,
Solano ,
Yolo
363,220
146,990
August 2020
1,491
6
7.
North Complex
Plumas ,
Butte
318,935
129,068
August 2020
2,352
15
8.
Santiago Canyon
Orange ,
Riverside ,
San Diego
300,000
120,000
September 1889
0
0
The fire dates before 1932, when reliable fire records began.
9.
Thomas
Ventura ,
Santa Barbara
281,893
114,078
December 2017
1,063
23
Fatalities (2 direct, 21 indirect) attributed to the fire include 1 firefighter and 1 civilian directly, 22 deaths in
later mudslides , with 1 never recovered.
[56]
10.
Cedar
San Diego
273,246
110,579
October 2003
2,820
15
11.
Rush
Lassen
271,911
110,038
August 2012
0
0
This fire burned an additional 43,666 acres (17,671.0 ha) in
Nevada , for a total of 315,577 acres (127,709.5 ha).
[57]
[58]
12.
Rim
Tuolumne
257,314
104,131
August 2013
112
0
13.
Zaca
Santa Barbara
240,207
97,208
July 2007
1
0
14.
Carr
Shasta ,
Trinity
229,651
92,936
July 2018
1,614
8
15.
Monument
Trinity
223,124
90,295
July 2021
50
0
16.
Caldor
El Dorado ,
Amador ,
Alpine
221,835
89,773
August 2021
1,003
1
17.
Matilija
Ventura
220,000
89,000
September 1932
0
0
18.
River Complex
Siskiyou ,
Trinity
199,343
80,671
July 2021
122
0
19.
Witch
San Diego
197,990
80,120
October 2007
1,650
2
20.
Klamath Theater Complex
Siskiyou
192,038
77,715
June 2008
0
2
Deadliest wildfires
The 20 deadliest wildfires according to the
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection .
[59]
Name
County
Acres
Hectares
Start date
Structures
Deaths
Notes
1.
Camp
[60]
[61]
[62]
Butte
153,336
62,050
November 2018
18,804
85
51 identified from
Paradise , 11 from
Magalia , 7 from
Concow , 1 from
Chico , remaining not publicly identified as of February 2019
2.
Griffith Park
Los Angeles
47
19
October 1933
0
29
Deaths were
RFC workers fighting the fire
3.
Tunnel
Alameda
1,600
650
October 1991
2,900
25
4.
Thomas
Ventura ,
Santa Barbara
281,893
114,078
December 2017
1,063
23
Fatalities (2 direct, 21 indirect) attributed to the fire include 1 firefighter and 1 civilian directly, 22 deaths in
later mudslides , with 1 never recovered.
[56]
5.
Tubbs
Napa ,
Sonoma
36,807
14,895
October 2017
5,643
22
6.
North Complex
Plumas ,
Butte
318,935
129,068
August 2020
2,352
15
7.
Cedar
San Diego
273,246
110,579
October 2003
2,820
15
8.
Rattlesnake
Glenn
1,340
540
July 1953
0
15
All deaths were firefighters trying to outrun the fire
9.
Loop
Los Angeles
2,028
821
November 1966
0
12
All deaths were members of the El Cariso Hotshots
10
Hauser Creek
San Diego
13,145
5,320
October 1943
0
11
11.
Inaja
San Diego
43,904
17,767
November 1956
0
11
12.
Iron Alps Complex
Trinity
105,855
42,838
August 2008
10
10
13.
Redwood Valley
Mendocino
36,523
14,780
October 2017
544
9
14.
Harris
San Diego
90,440
36,600
October 2007
548
8
15.
Canyon
Los Angeles
22,197
8,983
August 1968
0
8
16.
Carr
Shasta ,
Trinity
229,651
92,936
July 2018
1,614
8
17.
LNU Lightning Complex
Colusa ,
Lake ,
Napa ,
Sonoma ,
Solano ,
Yolo
363,220
146,990
August 2020
1,491
6
18.
Atlas
Napa ,
Solano
51,624
20,891
October 2017
781
6
19.
Old
San Bernardino
91,281
36,940
October 2003
1,003
6
20.
Decker
Riverside
1,425
577
August 1959
1
6
Most destructive wildfires
The 20 most destructive wildfires according to the
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection .
[63]
Name
County
Acres
Hectares
Start date
Structures
Deaths
Notes
1.
Camp
[60]
[61]
[62]
Butte
153,336
62,050
November 2018
18,804
85
Town of
Paradise destroyed
[64]
2.
Tubbs
Napa ,
Sonoma
36,807
14,895
October 2017
5,643
22
3.
Tunnel
Alameda
1,600
650
October 1991
2,900
25
4.
Cedar
San Diego
273,246
110,579
October 2003
2,820
15
5.
North Complex
Plumas ,
Butte
318,935
129,068
August 2020
2,352
15
Towns of
Berry Creek and
Feather Falls mostly destroyed
[65]
[66]
6.
Valley
Lake ,
Napa ,
Sonoma
76,067
30,783
September 2015
1,955
4
7.
Witch
San Diego
197,990
80,120
October 2007
1,650
2
8.
Woolsey
Ventura ,
Los Angeles
96,949
39,234
November 2018
1,643
3
9.
Carr
Shasta ,
Trinity
229,651
92,936
July 2018
1,614
8
10.
Glass
Napa ,
Sonoma
67,484
27,310
September 2020
1,520
0
11.
LNU Lightning Complex
Colusa ,
Lake ,
Napa ,
Sonoma ,
Solano ,
Yolo
363,220
146,990
August 2020
1,491
6
12.
CZU Lightning Complex
Santa Cruz ,
San Mateo
86,509
35,009
August 2020
1,490
1
13.
Nuns
Sonoma
54,382
22,008
October 2017
1,355
3
14.
Dixie
Butte ,
Lassen ,
Plumas ,
Shasta ,
Tehama
963,309
389,837
July 2021
1,329
1
Town of
Greenville mostly destroyed
15.
Thomas
Ventura ,
Santa Barbara
281,893
114,078
December 2017
1,063
23
2 direct, 22 indirect deaths were caused by the Montecito mudslides
16.
Caldor
El Dorado ,
Amador ,
Alpine
221,835
89,773
August 2021
1,003
1
Town of
Grizzly Flats mostly destroyed
17.
Old
San Bernardino
91,281
36,940
October 2003
1,003
6
18.
Butte
Amador ,
Calaveras
70,868
28,679
September 2015
965
2
19.
Jones
Shasta
26,200
10,600
October 1999
954
1
20.
August Complex
Glenn ,
Lake ,
Mendocino ,
Tehama ,
Trinity ,
Shasta
1,032,649
417,898
August 2020
935
1
Areas of repeated ignition
The summer 2008 wildfires were widespread and deadly, with at least 3,596 wildfires of various origins burning throughout
Northern and
Central California , for around four months
In some parts of California, fires can recur in areas with histories of fires. In
Oakland , for example, fires of various size and ignition occurred in
1923 , 1931, 1933, 1937, 1946, 1955, 1960, 1961, 1968, 1970, 1980, 1990,
1991 , 1995, 2002, and 2008.
[67]
[68]
Orange County ,
Riverside County ,
San Bernardino County , and
Los Angeles County are other examples. Orange and San Bernardino counties share a border that runs north to south through the
Chino Hills State Park , with the park's landscape ranging from large green
coastal sage scrub ,
grassland , and
woodland , to areas of brown sparsely dense
vegetation made drier by droughts or hot summers. The valley's grass and barren land can become easily susceptible to dry spells and drought, therefore making it a prime spot for brush fires and
conflagrations , many of which have occurred since 1914. Hills and canyons have seen brush or wildfires in 1914, the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and into today.
[69]
On occasion, lightning strikes from
thunderstorms may also spark wildfires in areas that have seen past ignition. Examples of this are the 1999 Megram Fire, the
2008 California wildfires .[
citation needed ] , as well as both the LNU and SCU Lightning Complex fires of 2020.
See also
References
^ Stephens, Scott L.; Martin, Robert E.; Clinton, Nicholas E. (November 15, 2007).
"Prehistoric fire area and emissions from California's forests, woodlands, shrublands, and grasslands" . Forest Ecology and Management . 251 (3): 210.
doi :
10.1016/j.foreco.2007.06.005 .
ISSN
0378-1127 .
Archived from the original on August 12, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2020 . area burned annually in California varied from 1,814,614 to 4,838,293 ha (excluding the desert region in Southeastern California) during the prehistoric period. With the land area of California equaling 40,396,822 ha (CCDB, 2003), this results in 4.5–12.0% of the state's lands burning annually
^
"California Wildfire Emission Estimates | California Air Resources Board" . ww2.arb.ca.gov .
Archived from the original on August 30, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2020 .
^ BORUNDA, ALEJANDRA; ELLIOTT, KENNEDY (November 15, 2018).
"See how a warmer world primed California for large fires" . National Geographic . Archived from
the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2018 .
^
"Twenty-first century California, USA, wildfires: fuel-dominated vs. wind-dominated fires" . ResearchGate . Retrieved August 24, 2020 .
^
"Historical patterns of wildfire ignition sources in California ecosystems" . ResearchGate . Retrieved August 24, 2020 .
^
"Wildfires are growing more costly" .
NBC News . May 14, 2014.
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^
a
b Rogers, Paul (August 23, 2020).
"California fires: State, feds agree to thin millions of acres of forests - New plan would last 20 years, reshaping California's landscape" .
San Jose Mercury News .
Archived from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020 . Before the Gold Rush in 1849, large parts of California burned every few decades. Lightning fires burned for months, and native tribes burned the land, clearing out dead vegetation. ... Stephens, the UC fire scientist, estimates that before the Gold Rush, roughly 4.5 million acres a year in California burned. By the 1950s and 1960s, that was down to about 250,000 acres a year.
^ Weil, Elizabeth (August 28, 2020).
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^ Ryan Sabalow; Phillip Reese; Dale Kasler (April 11, 2019).
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^ Boxall, Bettina (January 5, 2020).
"Human-caused ignitions spark California's worst wildfires but get little state focus" .
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^
a
b
"California wildfires altering ecosystems, disrupting wildlife habitats: Study" . ABC News . Retrieved November 22, 2023 .
^ Ayars, Jessalyn; Kramer, H. Anu; Jones, Gavin M. (November 28, 2023).
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^ Ayars, Jessalyn; Kramer, H. Anu; Jones, Gavin M. (November 28, 2023).
"The 2020 to 2021 California megafires and their impacts on wildlife habitat" . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . 120 (48).
doi :
10.1073/pnas.2312909120 .
ISSN
0027-8424 .
PMC
10691208 .
^
"California wildfires altering ecosystems, disrupting wildlife habitats: Study" . ABC News . Retrieved November 22, 2023 .
^ Ayars, Jessalyn; Kramer, H. Anu; Jones, Gavin M. (November 28, 2023).
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10.1073/pnas.2312909120 .
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0027-8424 .
PMC
10691208 .
^
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^
a
b
c
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^
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^
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^
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^
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^
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^
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^
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^
"2022 Incident Archive" . fire.ca.gov .
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^
a
b
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Archived from the original on December 23, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2018 .
^
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the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2013 .
^
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^
"Top 20 Deadliest California Wildfires" (PDF) . fire.ca.gov .
Archived (PDF) from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2021 .
^
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b
"California's "Camp Fire" death toll jumps to 48 as thousands of firefighters battle blazes" .
CBS News . November 13, 2018.
Archived from the original on November 14, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018 .
^
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b Moleski, Vincent (February 17, 2019).
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Archived from the original on July 17, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2019 .
^
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"Camp fire death toll rises to 86 after man dies of burn injuries" . Los Angeles Times . August 9, 2019.
Archived from the original on August 9, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2019 .
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"Wildfire destroys entire town as massive blazes tear through California" .
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^
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External links
August Complex
(2020) (1,032,648 acres, 4,178.98 km2 )
Dixie
(2021) (963,309 acres, 3,898.37 km2 )
Mendocino Complex
(2018) (459,123 acres, 1,858.00 km2 )
SCU Lightning Complex
(2020) (396,624 acres, 1,605.08 km2 )
Creek
(2020) (379,895 acres, 1,537.38 km2 )
LNU Lightning Complex
(2020) (363,220 acres, 1,469.9 km2 )
North Complex
(2020) (318,935 acres, 1,290.68 km2 )
Santiago Canyon (1889) (300,000 acres, 1,200 km2 )
Thomas
(2017) (281,893 acres, 1,140.78 km2 )
Cedar
(2003) (273,246 acres, 1,105.79 km2 )
Rush
(2012) (271,911 acres, 1,100.38 km2 in California)
Rim
(2013) (257,314 acres, 1,041.31 km2 )
Zaca
(2007) (240,207 acres, 972.08 km2 )
Carr
(2018) (229,651 acres, 929.36 km2 )
Monument
(2021) (223,124 acres, 902.95 km2 )
Caldor
(2021) (221,835 acres, 897.73 km2 )
Matilija (1932) (220,000 acres, 890 km2 )
River Complex
(2021) (199,359 acres, 806.78 km2 )
Witch
(2007) (197,990 acres, 801.2 km2 )
Klamath Theater Complex
(2008) (192,038 acres, 777.15 km2 )
Note: The Santiago Canyon Fire dates before 1932, when reliable fire records began.
This list reflects information from this
PDF