List of California wildfires

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For the current California wildfires, see Camp Fire (2018) and Woolsey Fire.
File:AERONET La Jolla.2007295.terra.250m.jpg
Santa Ana winds in California expands fires and spreads smoke over hundreds of miles, as in this October 2007 satellite image

California has dry, windy and often hot weather conditions from spring through late autumn that can produce moderate to devastating wildfires. 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. Wildfires in California are growing more dangerous as people build in rural burn areas and climate change worsens. 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.[1]

The following is a list of notable wildfires of various sizes that have occurred in California.

Largest wildfires

These are the 20 largest wildfires in California since 1932 (when accurate records started to be kept), according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE).[2]

Note: dagger means that the fire is currently burning. Burned area and position in the list are subject to change.

Name County Acres Hectares Start date Structures Deaths Notes
Mendocino Complex Mendocino, Lake, Colusa, Glenn 459,123 185,800.5 July 2018 280 1 The Ranch Fire by itself, at 410,203 acres (100% contained) as of 19 September 2018, is the largest fire in California history. 1 firefighter died.[3]
Thomas Ventura, Santa Barbara 281,893 114,078.0 December 2017 1,063 23 (2 Direct, 21 Indirect) Fatalities attributed to the fire include 1 firefighter and 1 civilian directly, 21 deaths in later mudslides.[4]
Cedar San Diego 273,246 110,578.7 October 2003 2,820 15
Rush Lassen 271,911 110,038.5 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).[5][6]
Rim Tuolumne 257,314 104,131.3 August 2013 112 0
Zaca Santa Barbara 240,207 97,208.3 July 2007 1 0
Carr Shasta, Trinity 229,651 92,936.5 July 2018 1,604 8
Matilija Ventura 220,000 89,030 September 1932 0 0
Witch San Diego 197,990 80,123.7 October 2007 1,650 2
Klamath Theater Complex Siskiyou 192,038 77,715.0 June 2008 0 2
Marble Cone Monterey 177,866 71,979.8 July 1977 0 0
Laguna San Diego 175,425 70,992.0 September 1970 382 5
Basin Complex Monterey 162,818 65,890.1 June 2008 58 0
Day Ventura 162,702 65,843.2 September 2006 11 0
Station Los Angeles 160,557 64,975.1 August 2009 209 2
Rough Fresno 151,623 61,359.7 July 2015 4 0
McNally Tulare 150,696 60,984.5 July 2002 17 0
Stanislaus Complex Tuolumne 145,980 59,076.0 August 1987 28 1
Big Bar Complex Trinity 140,948 57,039.6 August 1999 0 0
Campdagger Butte 138,000 55,846.6 November 2018 10,321 56

Deadliest wildfires

A list of the 20 deadliest wildfires, according to CAL FIRE, can be found at "Top 20 Deadliest California Wildfire" (PDF).

Note: dagger means that the fire is currently burning. Number of deaths and position in the list are subject to change.

Name County Acres Hectares Start date Structures Deaths Notes
Campdagger[7] Butte 138,000 55,850 November 2018 10,321+ 56 49 in Paradise, 7 in Concow
Griffith Park Los Angeles 47 19.0 October 1933 0 29 Deaths were RFC workers attempting to fight the fire
Tunnel Alameda 1,600 647.5 October 1991 2,900 25
Tubbs Napa, Sonoma 36,807 14,895.3 October 2017 5,643 22
Rattlesnake Glenn 1,340 542.3 July 1953 0 15 Deaths were firefighters trying to outrun the fire
Cedar San Diego 273,246 110,578.7 October 2003 2,820 15
Loop Los Angeles 2,028 820.7 November 1966 0 12
Hauser Creek San Diego 13,145 5,319.6 October 1943 0 11
Inaja San Diego 43,904 17,767.3 November 1956 0 11
Iron Alps Complex Trinity 105,855 42,838.0 August 2008 10 10
Redwood Valley Complex Mendocino 36,523 14,780.3 October 2017 544 9
Canyon Los Angeles 22,197 8,982.8 August 1968 0 8
Harris San Diego 90,440 36,599.8 October 2007 548 8
Carr Shasta, Trinity 229,651 92,936.5 July 2018 1,604 7
Hacienda Los Angeles 1,150 465.4 September 1955 0 6
Decker Riverside 1,425 576.7 August 1959 1 6
Old San Bernardino 91,281 36,940.1 October 2003 1,003 6
Atlas Napa, Solano 51,624 20,891.5 October 2017 781 6
Laguna San Diego 175,425 70,992.0 September 1970 382 5
Esperanza Riverside 40,200 16,268.4 October 2006 54 5

Most destructive wildfires

A list of the 20 most destructive wildfires, according to CAL FIRE, can be found here: http://www.fire.ca.gov/communications/downloads/fact_sheets/Top20_Destruction.pdf[8]

Note: dagger means that the fire is currently burning. Number of destroyed structures and position in the list are subject to change.

Name County Acres Hectares Start date Structures Deaths Notes
Campdagger[7] Butte 138,000 55,850 November 2018 10,321+ 56 Town of Paradise destroyed[9]
Tubbs Napa, Sonoma 36,807 14,895.3 October 2017 5,643 22
Tunnel Alameda 1,600 647.5 October 1991 2,900 25
Cedar San Diego 273,246 110,578.7 October 2003 2,820 15
Valley Lake, Napa, Sonoma 76,067 30,783.2 September 2015 1,955 4
Witch San Diego 197,900 80,087.3 October 2007 1,650 6
Carr Shasta, Trinity 229,651 92,936.5 July 2018 1,604 8
Nuns Sonoma 54,382 22,007.6 October 2017 1,355 3
Thomas Ventura, Santa Barbara 281,893 114,078.0 December 2017 1,063 1
Old San Bernardino 91,281 36,940.1 October 2003 1,003 6
Jones Shasta 26,200 10,602.8 October 1999 954 1
Butte Amador, Calaveras 70,868 28,679.3 September 2015 921 2
Atlas Napa, Solano 51,624 20,891.5 October 2017 783 6
Paint Santa Barbara 4,900 1,983.0 June 1990 641 1
Fountain Shasta 63,960 25,883.7 August 1992 636 0
Sayre Los Angeles 11,262 4,557.6 November 2008 604 0
Berkeley Alameda 130 52.6 September 1923 584 0
Harris San Diego 90,440 36,599.8 October 2007 548 8
Redwood Valley Complex Mendocino 36,623 14,820.8 October 2017 546 9
Woolseydagger Ventura, Los Angeles 98,362 39,805.7 November 2018 504 3 [10]

Pre-2000

Remains of houses destroyed in the Oakland firestorm of 1991
  • Santiago Canyon Fire (1889). Burned on the order of 310,000 acres (130,000 ha).
  • Berkeley Fire (1923). Destroyed 640 structures, including 584 homes.
  • Griffith Park Fire (1933). Official death toll was 29 firefighters, but may have killed up to 58.
  • Rattlesnake Fire (1953). 15 firefighters were killed in this arsonist's fire.
  • Bel Air Fire (1961). 484 homes were destroyed; 112 injuries.
  • Laguna Fire (1970). 382 homes burned, killing eight people.
  • Painted Cave Fire (1990). 1 death and 430 buildings burned in this arson fire near Santa Barbara.
  • Oakland firestorm (1991). Killed 25 people. Destroyed 2,843 single-family homes and 437 multi-family units.
  • Mount Vision Fire (1995). 45 homes destroyed. Cause: illegal campfire.

Post-2000

Satellite image of the 2003 Cedar Fire, the third-largest wildfire 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.[11]

Yearly statistics

Year Fires Acres Hectares Ref
2000 7,622 295,026 119,392.8 [12]
2001 9,458 329,126 133,192.6 [13]
2002 8,328 969,890 392,500.6 [14][15]
2003 9,116 1,020,460 412,965.5 [16][17][18]
2004 8,415 264,988 107,236.8 [19][20]
2005 7,162 222,538 90,057.9 [21][22]
2006 8,202 736,022 297,857.5 [23][24]
2007 9,093 1,087,110 439,937.8 [25][12]
2008 4,923 1,593,690 644,943.5 [26][12]
2009 9,159 422,147 170,836.8 [27][28]
2010 6,554 109,529 44,324.8 [29]
2011 7,989 168,545 68,207.7 [30][31]
2012 7,950 869,599 351,914.2 [32]
2013 9,907 601,635 243,473.0 [33][34]
2014 7,865 625,540 253,147.1 [35][36]
2015 8,745 893,362 361,530.8 [37]
2016 6,986 669,534 270,950.8 [38][39]
2017 9,133 1,381,405 559,034.8 [40][41]
Average 7,777 705,174 285,373.8

A 2015 study[42] addressed whether the increase in fire risk in California is attributable to climate change.[43]

Notable fires

Note: † means fire is currently burning. Check primary sources for up-to-date statistics.

Name County Acres Hectares Start Contained Notes Ref
Rumsey Yolo 39,138 15,838.6 October 10, 2004 October 16, 2004 5 structures destroyed [44]
Old San Bernardino 91,281 36,940.1 October 21, 2003 November 25, 2003 975 structures destroyed [45]
Simi Ventura 108,204 43,788.6 October 25, 2003 November 5, 2003 315 structures destroyed [46]
Topanga Los Angeles 24,175 9,783.3 September 28, 2005 October 6, 2005 [47]
Esperanza Riverside 41,173 16,662.1 October 26, 2006 November 1, 2006 5 fatalities, 54 structures destroyed [48][better source needed]
Island Los Angeles 4,750 1,922.3 May 10, 2007 May 15, 2007 6 structures destroyed [49]
Zaca Santa Barbara 240,207 97,208.3 July 4, 2007 September 4, 2007 1 structure destroyed [50]
Witch San Diego 197,990 80,123.7 October 21, 2007 November 6, 2007 1,650 structures destroyed [51]
Harris San Diego 90,440 36,599.8 October 21, 2007 November 5, 2007 472 structures destroyed; 1 fatality [52]
Santiago Orange 28,400 11,493.1 October 21, 2007 November 9, 2007 24 structures destroyed [53]
Corral Los Angeles 4,901 1,983.4 November 24, 2007 November 27, 2007 86 structures destroyed [54]
Indians Monterey 81,378 32,932.5 June 8, 2008 July 10, 2008 [55]
Basin Complex Monterey 162,818 65,890.1 June 21, 2008 July 27, 2008 [56]
Sesnon Los Angeles 14,703 5,950.1 October 13, 2008 October 18, 2008 [57]
Jesusita Santa Barbara 8,733 3,534.1 May 5, 2009 May 20, 2009 160 structures destroyed [58]
La Brea Santa Barbara 89,489 36,214.9 August 8, 2009 August 23, 2009 [59]
Lockheed Santa Cruz 7,817 3,163.4 August 12, 2009 August 23, 2009 13 structures destroyed [60]
Station Los Angeles 160,577 64,983.2 August 26, 2009 October 16, 2009 209 structures destroyed; 2 fatalities [61]
Guiberson Ventura 17,500 7,082.0 September 22, 2009 October 1, 2009 [62]
Rush Lassen 271,991 110,070.9 August 12, 2012 August 30, 2012 1 barn destroyed [63]
Springs Ventura 28,000 11,000 May 2, 2013 May 6, 2013 20 outbuildings destroyed [64]
Powerhouse Los Angeles 30,000 12,000 May 30, 2013 June 10, 2013 24 structures destroyed [65]
Mountain Riverside 27,531 11,141.4 July 15, 2013 July 21, 2013 23 structures destroyed [66]
Silver Riverside 20,292 8,211.9 August 7, 2013 August 12, 2013 48 structures destroyed [67]
Rim Tuolumne 257,314 104,131.3 August 17, 2013 October 24, 2013 112 structures destroyed [68]
Clover Shasta 8,073 3,267.0 September 9, 2013 September 15, 2013 68 homes destroyed; 1 fatality [69]
Happy Camp Complex Siskiyou 134,056 54,250.5 August 14, 2014 October 31, 2014 6 structures destroyed [70]
King El Dorado 97,717 39,544.7 September 13, 2014 October 9, 2014 80 structures destroyed [71]
Boles Siskiyou 516 208.8 September 15, 2014 October 11, 2014 157 structures destroyed [72]
Lake San Bernardino 31,359 12,690.5 June 17, 2015 August 1, 2015 4 structures destroyed [73]
North San Bernardino 4,250 1,719.9 July 17, 2015 July 21, 2015 7 structures destroyed [74]
Rocky Lake 69,438 28,100.6 July 29, 2015 August 14, 2015 43 structures destroyed [75]
Butte Amador, Calaveras 70,868 28,679.3 September 9, 2015 October 1, 2015 818 structures destroyed; 2 fatalities [76]
Valley Lake, Napa, Sonoma 76,067 30,783.2 September 12, 2015 October 15, 2015 1,955 structures destroyed; 4 fatalities [77]
Erskine Kern 47,864 19,369.9 June 23, 2016 July 11, 2016 309 buildings destroyed; 2 fatalities [78]
Sand Los Angeles 41,432 16,766.9 July 22, 2016 August 3, 2016 18 homes destroyed, 2 fatalities [79]
Soberanes Monterey 132,127 53,469.9 July 22, 2016 October 12, 2016 57 homes, 11 outbuildings destroyed, 1 fatality [80]
Chimney San Luis Obispo 46,344 18,754.8 August 13, 2016 September 6, 2016 68 structures destroyed [81]
Clayton Lake 3,929 1,590.0 August 13, 2016 August 26, 2016 175 structures destroyed, including a Habitat for Humanity office [82]
Blue Cut San Bernardino 37,000 14,973.4 August 16, 2016 August 23, 2016 105 homes, 213 outbuildings destroyed, 82,000+ evacuated [83]
Loma Santa Clara 4,474 1,810.6 September 26, 2016 October 12, 2016 28 structures destroyed [84]
Detwiler Mariposa 81,826 33,113.8 July 16, 2017 August 24, 2017 131 structures destroyed [85]
Tubbs Sonoma 36,807 14,895.3 October 8, 2017 October 31, 2017 5,643 structures destroyed; 22 fatalities [86][87][88]
Thomas Ventura, Santa Barbara 281,893 114,078.0 December 4, 2017 January 12, 2018 1,063 structures destroyed; 2 fatalities; 104,607 evacuated [89][90][91][92][93]
Lilac San Diego 4,100 1,659.2 December 7, 2017 December 16, 2017 157 structures destroyed; 10,000+ evacuated [94][95]
Ferguson Mariposa 96,901 39,214.4 July 13, 2018 August 19, 2018 2 firefighters killed, 19 injured [96]
Carr Shasta 229,651 92,936.5 July 23, 2018 August 30, 2018 1,604 structures destroyed; 8 fatalities [97]
Mendocino Complex Mendocino, Lake, Colusa, Glenn 459,102 185,792.0 July 27, 2018 September 18, 2018 277 structures destroyed, 1 fatality [98]
Camp Butte 135,000 54,630 November 8, 2018 10,321+ structures destroyed, 56 fatalities [7]
Woolsey Los Angeles, Ventura 97,620 39,510 November 8, 2018 435+ structures destroyed, 3 fatalities [99]

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. Examples of this are in Oakland, where 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.[100][101] Other examples being Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, and Los Angeles County. In the case of Orange and San Bernardino, these two counties share a county 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 conflagration, 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.[102]

On occasion, freak lightning strikes from thunderstorms may also spark wildfires in areas that have seen past ignition. Examples of this are the 1999 Megram Fire and the 2008 California wildfires.[citation needed]

See also

References

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  8. http://www.fire.ca.gov/communications/downloads/fact_sheets/Top20_Destruction.pdf
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  48. Esperanza Fire
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  92. http://www.fire.ca.gov/communications/downloads/fact_sheets/Top20_Acres.pdf
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  102. http://www.hillsforeveryone.org/projects/fire-files/A-100-Year-History-of-Wildfires-Near-CHSP.pdf

External links