[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/en\/wiki8\/list-of-california-wildfires-wikipedia\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/en\/wiki8\/list-of-california-wildfires-wikipedia\/","headline":"List of California wildfires – Wikipedia","name":"List of California wildfires – Wikipedia","description":"before-content-x4 Santa Ana winds in California expand fires and spread smoke over hundreds of miles, as in this October 2007","datePublished":"2015-02-26","dateModified":"2015-02-26","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/en\/wiki8\/author\/lordneo\/#Person","name":"lordneo","url":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/en\/wiki8\/author\/lordneo\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c9645c498c9701c88b89b8537773dd7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c9645c498c9701c88b89b8537773dd7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Enzyklop\u00e4die","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/wiki4\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/download.jpg","url":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/wiki4\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/download.jpg","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/5\/53\/AERONET_La_Jolla.2007295.terra.250m.jpg\/280px-AERONET_La_Jolla.2007295.terra.250m.jpg","url":"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/5\/53\/AERONET_La_Jolla.2007295.terra.250m.jpg\/280px-AERONET_La_Jolla.2007295.terra.250m.jpg","height":"210","width":"280"},"url":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/en\/wiki8\/list-of-california-wildfires-wikipedia\/","wordCount":14513,"articleBody":"     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});before-content-x4  Santa Ana winds in California expand fires and spread smoke over hundreds of miles, as in this October 2007 satellite image  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.       (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});after-content-x4Wildfires 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 km\u00b2) 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 km\u00b3) 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]       (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});after-content-x4The four most common ignition sources of large California wildfires since 1980 have been equipment generating sparks (chainsaws, grinders, mowers, etc.), overhead power lines, arsonists, and lightning.[10]Table of ContentsStatistics[edit]Area burned per year[edit]Largest wildfires[edit]Deadliest wildfires[edit]Most destructive wildfires[edit]Areas of repeated ignition[edit]See also[edit]References[edit]External links[edit]Statistics[edit]Area burned per year[edit]           (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});after-content-x4Satellite image from October, 2003 including Cedar Fire, one of the largest wildfires in California historyStarting in 2001, the National Interagency Fire Center began keeping more accurate records on the total fire acreage burned in each state.[11]YearFiresAcresHectaresRef20007,622295,026119,393[12]20019,458329,126133,193[13]20028,328969,890392,500[14][15]20039,1161,020,460412,970[16][17][18]20048,415264,988107,237[19][20]20057,162222,53890,058[21][22]20068,202736,022297,858[23][24]20079,0931,520,362615,269[12][25]20086,2551,593,690644,940[12]20099,159422,147170,837[26][27]20106,554109,52944,325[28]20117,989168,54568,208[29][30]20127,950869,599351,914[31]20139,907601,635243,473[32][33]20147,865625,540253,150[34][35]20158,745893,362361,531[36]20166,986669,534270,951[37][38]20179,5601,548,429626,627[39][40]20188,5271,975,086799,289[41][42]20197,860259,823105,147[43]20209,6394,397,8091,779,730[44]20218,8352,568,9481,039,616[45]Average8,3291,002,822405,828A 2015 study[46] addressed whether the increase in fire risk in California is attributable to climate change.[47]Largest wildfires[edit]The 20 largest wildfires according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.[48]NameCountyAcresHectaresStart dateStructuresDeathsNotes1.August ComplexGlenn, Lake, Mendocino, Tehama, Trinity, Shasta1,032,648417,898August 202093512.DixieButte, Lassen, Plumas, Shasta, Tehama963,309389,837July 20211,3291Largest single source wildfire in California history[49]3.Mendocino ComplexMendocino, Lake, Colusa, Glenn459,123185,800July 201828014.SCU Lightning ComplexSanta Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Joaquin, Merced, Stanislaus396,624160,508August 202022205.CreekFresno, Madera379,895153,738September 202085606.LNU Lightning ComplexColusa, Lake, Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Yolo363,220146,990August 20201,49167.North ComplexPlumas, Butte318,935129,068August 20202,352158.Santiago CanyonOrange, Riverside, San Diego300,000120,000September 188900The fire dates before 1932, when reliable fire records began.9.ThomasVentura, Santa Barbara281,893114,078December 20171,06323Fatalities (2 direct, 21 indirect) attributed to the fire include 1 firefighter and 1 civilian directly, 22 deaths in later mudslides, with 1 never recovered.[50]10.CedarSan Diego273,246110,579October 20032,8201511.RushLassen271,911110,038August 201200This fire  burned an additional 43,666 acres (17,671.0\u00a0ha) in Nevada, for a total of 315,577 acres (127,709.5\u00a0ha).[51][52]12.RimTuolumne257,314104,131August 2013112013.ZacaSanta Barbara240,20797,208July 20071014.CarrShasta, Trinity229,65192,936July 20181,614815.MonumentTrinity223,12490,295July 202150016.CaldorEl Dorado, Amador, Alpine221,83589,773August 20211,003117.MatilijaVentura220,00089,000September 19320018.River ComplexSiskiyou, Trinity199,34380,671July 2021122019.WitchSan Diego197,99080,120October 20071,650220.Klamath Theater ComplexSiskiyou192,03877,715June 200802Deadliest wildfires[edit]The 20 deadliest wildfires according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.[53]NameCountyAcresHectaresStart dateStructuresDeathsNotes1.Camp[54][55][56]Butte153,33662,050November 201818,8048551 identified from Paradise, 11 from Magalia, 7 from Concow, 1 from Chico, remaining not publicly identified as of February 20192.Griffith ParkLos Angeles4719October 1933029Deaths were RFC workers fighting the fire3.TunnelAlameda1,600650October 19912,900254.ThomasVentura, Santa Barbara281,893114,078December 20171,06323Fatalities (2 direct, 21 indirect) attributed to the fire include 1 firefighter and 1 civilian directly, 22 deaths in later mudslides, with 1 never recovered.[50]5.TubbsNapa, Sonoma36,80714,895October 20175,643226.North ComplexPlumas, Butte318,935129,068August 20202,352157.CedarSan Diego273,246110,579October 20032,820158.RattlesnakeGlenn1,340540July 1953015All deaths were firefighters trying to outrun the fire9.LoopLos Angeles2,028821November 1966012All deaths were members of the El Cariso Hotshots10Hauser CreekSan Diego13,1455,320October 194301111.InajaSan Diego43,90417,767November 195601112.Iron Alps ComplexTrinity105,85542,838August 2008101013.Redwood ValleyMendocino36,52314,780October 2017544914.HarrisSan Diego90,44036,600October 2007548815.CanyonLos Angeles22,1978,983August 19680816.CarrShasta, Trinity229,65192,936July 20181,614817.LNU Lightning ComplexColusa, Lake, Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Yolo363,220146,990August 20201,491618.AtlasNapa, Solano51,62420,891October 2017781619.OldSan Bernardino91,28136,940October 20031,003620.DeckerRiverside1,425577August 195916Most destructive wildfires[edit]The 20 most destructive wildfires according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.[57]NameCountyAcresHectaresStart dateStructuresDeathsNotes1.Camp[54][55][56]Butte153,33662,050November 201818,80485Town of Paradise destroyed[58]2.TubbsNapa, Sonoma36,80714,895October 20175,643223.TunnelAlameda1,600650October 19912,900254.CedarSan Diego273,246110,579October 20032,820155.North ComplexPlumas, Butte318,935129,068August 20202,35215Towns of Berry Creek and Feather Falls mostly destroyed[59][60]6.ValleyLake, Napa, Sonoma76,06730,783September 20151,95547.WitchSan Diego197,99080,120October 20071,65028.WoolseyVentura, Los Angeles96,94939,234November 20181,64339.CarrShasta, Trinity229,65192,936July 20181,614810.GlassNapa, Sonoma67,48427,310September 20201,520011.LNU Lightning ComplexColusa, Lake, Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Yolo363,220146,990August 20201,491612.CZU Lightning ComplexSanta Cruz, San Mateo86,50935,009August 20201,490113.NunsSonoma54,38222,008October 20171,355314.DixieButte, Lassen, Plumas, Shasta, Tehama963,309389,837July 20211,3291Town of Greenville mostly destroyed15.ThomasVentura, Santa Barbara281,893114,078December 20171,063232 direct, 22 indirect deaths were caused by the Montecito mudslides16.CaldorEl Dorado, Amador, Alpine221,83589,773August 20211,0031Town of Grizzly Flats mostly destroyed17.OldSan Bernardino91,28136,940October 20031,003618.ButteAmador, Calaveras70,86828,679September 2015965219.JonesShasta26,20010,600October 1999954120.August ComplexGlenn, Lake, Mendocino, Tehama, Trinity, Shasta1,032,649417,898August 20209351Areas of repeated ignition[edit]  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 monthsIn 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.[61][62]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.[63]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[edit]References[edit]^ Stephens, Scott L.; Martin, Robert E.; Clinton, Nicholas E. (2007-11-15). “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\u00a00378-1127. 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\u201312.0% of the state’s lands burning annually^ “California Wildfire Emission Estimates | California Air Resources Board”. ww2.arb.ca.gov. Retrieved 2020-08-24.^ BORUNDA, ALEJANDRA; ELLIOTT, KENNEDY. “See how a warmer world primed California for large fires”. National Geographic. Retrieved 22 November 2018.^ “Twenty-first century California, USA, wildfires: fuel-dominated vs. wind-dominated fires”. ResearchGate. Retrieved 2020-08-24.^ “Historical patterns of wildfire ignition sources in California ecosystems”. ResearchGate. Retrieved 2020-08-24.^ “Wildfires are growing more costly”. NBC News. 2014-05-14.^ a b  Rogers, Paul (2020-08-23). “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. Retrieved 2020-09-11. 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. “They Know How to Prevent Megafires. Why Won’t Anybody Listen?”. ProPublica. Retrieved 14 September 2020.^ Ryan Sabalow; Phillip Reese; Dale Kasler (April 11, 2019). “Destined to Burn: California races to predict which town could be next to burn”. The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved 2019-11-17 \u2013 via KRCR News.^ Boxall, Bettina (5 January 2020). “Human-caused ignitions spark California’s worst wildfires but get little state focus”. San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 25 November 2020.^ “Statistics”. National Interagency Fire Center. Retrieved 24 August 2015.^ a b c “California Wildfires and Acres for all Jurisdictions” (PDF). CalFire. August 24, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.^ “National Report of Wildland Fires and Acres Burned by State 2001” (PDF). National Interagency Fire Center. Retrieved 12 August 2015.^ “National Report of Wildland Fires and Acres Burned by State 2002” (PDF). National Interagency Fire Center. Retrieved 12 August 2015.^ “2002 Large Fires” (PDF). CAL FIRE. February 11, 2003. Retrieved December 10, 2017.^ “National Report of Wildland Fires and Acres Burned by State 2003” (PDF). National Interagency Fire Center. Retrieved 12 August 2015.^ “Large Fires 2003” (PDF). CAL FIRE. Retrieved 17 October 2016.^ “Otay Fire”. CAL FIRE. October 27, 2003. Retrieved December 10, 2017.^ “National Report of Wildland Fires and Acres Burned by State 2004” (PDF). National Interagency Fire Center. Retrieved 12 August 2015.^ “Large Fires 2004” (PDF). CAL FIRE. Retrieved 28 August 2015.^ “National Report of Wildland Fires and Acres Burned by State 2005” (PDF). National Interagency Fire Center. Retrieved 12 August 2015.^ “Large Fires 2005” (PDF). CAL FIRE. Retrieved 19 September 2015.^ “National Report of Wildland Fires and Acres Burned by State 2006” (PDF). National Interagency Fire Center. Retrieved 12 August 2015.^ “Large Fires 2006” (PDF). CAL FIRE. Retrieved 28 August 2015.^ “National Report of Wildland Fires and Acres Burned by State 2007” (PDF). National Interagency Fire Center. Retrieved 12 August 2015.^ “National Report of Wildland Fires and Acres Burned by State 2009” (PDF). National Interagency Fire Center. Retrieved 12 August 2015.^ “Large Fires 2009” (PDF). CAL FIRE. Retrieved 20 August 2015.^ “National Report of Wildland Fires and Acres Burned by State 2010” (PDF). National Interagency Fire Center. Retrieved 12 August 2015.^ “National Report of Wildland Fires and Acres Burned by State 2011” (PDF). National Interagency Fire Center. Retrieved 12 August 2015.^ “Large Fires 2011” (PDF). CAL FIRE. Retrieved 21 August 2015.^ “National Report of Wildland Fires and Acres Burned by State 2012” (PDF). National Interagency Fire Center. Retrieved 12 August 2015.^ “National Report of Wildland Fires and Acres Burned by State 2013” (PDF). National Interagency Fire Center. Retrieved 12 August 2015.^ Ken Pimlott; John Laird; Edmond G. Brown Jr. (September 3, 2014). “2013 Wildfire Statistics” (PDF). CAL FIRE. Retrieved December 24, 2017.^ “National Report of Wildland Fires and Acres Burned by State 2014” (PDF). National Interagency Fire Center. Retrieved 12 August 2015.^ Ken Pimlott (2015). “2014 Wildfire Activity Statistics” (PDF). CAL FIRE. Retrieved September 11, 2018.^ “National Report of Wildland Fires and Acres Burned by State 2015” (PDF). National Interagency Fire Center. Retrieved 26 June 2016.^ “National Report of Wildland Fires and Acres Burned by State 2016” (PDF). National Interagency Fire Center. Retrieved 11 November 2017.^ Ken Pimlott (2017). “2016 Wildfire Activity Statistics” (PDF). CAL FIRE. Retrieved September 11, 2018.^ “2017 Incident Archive”. 2019. Archived from the original on September 4, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.^ “National Report of Wildland Fires and Acres Burned by State 2017” (PDF). National Interagency Fire Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.^ “2018 Incident Archive”. CAL FIRE. 2020. Archived from the original on September 5, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2020.^ “2018 National Year-to-Date Report on Fires and Acres Burned” (PDF). NIFC. November 9, 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 30, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2018.^ “2019 Incident Archive”. fire.ca.gov. Retrieved January 2, 2022.^ “2020 Incident Archive”. fire.ca.gov. Retrieved January 2, 2022.^ “2021 Incident Archive”. fire.ca.gov. Retrieved January 2, 2022.^ “Was the 2014 wildfire season in California affected by climate change? – Wildfire Today”. wildfiretoday.com. 9 November 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2018.^ Yoon et al. (2015) Extreme Fire Season In California: A Glimpse Into The Future?  https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/283425168_EXTREME_FIRE_SEASON_IN_CALIFORNIA_A_GLIMPSE_INTO_THE_FUTURE#full-text^ “Top 20 Largest California Wildfires” (PDF). fire.ca.gov.^ Bermel, Colby (2021-08-06). “Dixie Fire becomes largest single wildfire in California history”. Politico.^ a b “The Latest: California wildfire now largest in state history”. apnews.com. Retrieved 6 April 2018.^ “Rush Fire”. Inciweb. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-09-01.^ “Rush Fire”. CAL FIRE. Retrieved 25 August 2015.^ “Top 20 Deadliest California Wildfires” (PDF). fire.ca.gov.^ a b “California’s “Camp Fire” death toll jumps to 48 as thousands of firefighters battle blazes”. CBS News. 2018-11-13.^ a b Moleski, Vincent (17 February 2019). “Camp Fire death count drops to 85 while missing list drops to 2 following arrest”. Sacramento Bee. Retrieved 13 June 2019.^ a b “Camp fire death toll rises to 86 after man dies of burn injuries”. Los Angeles Times. 2019-08-09. Retrieved 2019-08-09.^ “Top 20 Most Destructive California Wildfires” (PDF). fire.ca.gov.^ “Wildfire destroys entire town as massive blazes tear through California”. CBS News. 2018-11-09.^ Dale, Kasler; Stanton, Sam (18 September 2020). “‘Unstoppable.’ How the Bear Fire erupted into a deadly disaster for tiny Berry Creek”. Sac Bee. Retrieved 25 September 2020.^ La Ganga, Maria L. (22 September 2020). “People in this California town didn’t have much. Then fire took it away”. LA Times. Retrieved 25 September 2020.^ “Oakland Hills Fire”. Today in Montclair, 94611. Retrieved 6 April 2018.^ “History of Fires in the Oakland hills” (PDF). oaklandnet.com.^ A 100 Year History of Wildfires Near Chino Hills State Park (PDF) (Report). Hills For Everyone. August 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-03-29. Retrieved 2014-03-24.External links[edit]August Complex (2020) (1,032,648 acres, 4,178.98\u00a0km2)Dixie (2021) (963,309 acres, 3,898.37\u00a0km2)Mendocino Complex (2018) (459,123 acres, 1,858.00\u00a0km2)SCU Lightning Complex (2020) (396,624 acres, 1,605.08\u00a0km2)Creek (2020) (379,895 acres, 1,537.38\u00a0km2)LNU Lightning Complex (2020) (363,220 acres, 1,469.9\u00a0km2)North Complex (2020) (318,935 acres, 1,290.68\u00a0km2)Santiago Canyon (1889) (300,000 acres, 1,200\u00a0km2)Thomas (2017) (281,893 acres, 1,140.78\u00a0km2)Cedar (2003) (273,246 acres, 1,105.79\u00a0km2)Rush (2012) (271,911 acres, 1,100.38\u00a0km2 in California)Rim (2013) (257,314 acres, 1,041.31\u00a0km2)Zaca (2007) (240,207 acres, 972.08\u00a0km2)Carr (2018) (229,651 acres, 929.36\u00a0km2)Monument (2021) (223,124 acres, 902.95\u00a0km2)Caldor (2021) (221,835 acres, 897.73\u00a0km2)Matilija (1932) (220,000 acres, 890\u00a0km2)River Complex (2021) (199,359 acres, 806.78\u00a0km2)Witch (2007) (197,990 acres, 801.2\u00a0km2)Klamath Theater Complex (2008) (192,038 acres, 777.15\u00a0km2)Note: The Santiago Canyon Fire dates before 1932, when reliable fire records began.     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