In California, Washington and Oregon combined, about 1.9 million acres have burned on federally-managed land compared to just over 1 million acres on non-federal land, according to NIFC.
California's fire record dates back to 1932; the 10 largest fires since then have occurred since 2000, including the 2018 Mendocino Complex Fire, the largest in state history, and this year's L.N.U. Lightning Complex, which is now 91 percent contained.
Many fires were started because of human causes, including most of the fires in California. However, some of the fires, including the August Complex Fire, were caused by lightning strikes in extremely dry areas. Others in Oregon and California were started by downed power lines.
Fires We're Tracking
- Silverado Fire. Orange. OrangeCAUS.
- Blue Ridge Fire. Orange. OrangeCAUS.
- August Complex Fire. Mendocino and Humboldt. Mendocino and HumboldtCAUS.
- Dolan Fire. Monterey. MontereyCAUS.
- Creek Fire. Fresno. FresnoCAUS.
- North Complex Fire. Plumas, Butte.
- Red Salmon Complex Fire. Trinity.
- SQF Lightning Complex. Tulare.
The Oregon Department of Forestry declared fire season beginning on July 5, 2020, signaling the end of unregulated debris burning outdoors, a major cause of wildfires. In early September, unusually high winds and continued dry weather caused the rapid expansion of multiple wildfires in Oregon.
Among those determined to be lightning-caused is the SQF Complex fire that ignited Aug. 19, burning south of the Creek Fire. Sequoia National Park remains closed due to that fire.
The state burns regularly because of fierce autumn winds, invasive grasses that act as kindling, fire-happy native shrubs and trees, frequent drought punctuated by spurts of downpours, a century of fire suppression, people moving closer to the wild, homes that burn easily, people starting fires accidentally or on
One year has passed since the world was shocked by the images of the fires blazing across the Amazon in Brazil. But since then, the forest hasn't stopped burning —and 2020 could be even more devastating for the rainforest and the Indigenous Peoples who call it home.
The Bobcat Fire burning in the Angeles National Forest on October 5, 2020. The 115,796-acre Bobcat Fire may have been caused by vegetation coming into contact with a Southern California Edison overhead conductor, the company said Monday in a letter to the California Public Utilities Commission.
A Gender-Reveal Celebration Is Blamed for a Wildfire. It Isn't the First Time. The El Dorado fire in California ignited as a family was using a “pyrotechnic device” to announce the gender of a new baby, the authorities said.
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Firefighters tackled 11 new lightning-sparked fires across Central Oregon Monday from the thunderstorms that have blanketed the region. The largest fire in the region (except for ones near Warm Springs) was the Green Ridge Fire, which was 26 acres and 5% contained late Monday.
California has sent out calls for aid to all 50 states, with crews and equipment from at least seven Western states currently working dozens of major fires. Personnel from Arizona, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Texas, Utah and Washington are assisting California crews. Kansas is also sending crews.
The largest wildfire in modern history was the Black Friday Bushfire in Australia's Victoria State in January 1939, burning some 4.9 million acres and claiming 71 lives.
The 1988 Yellowstone FiresThese fires collectively formed the largest wildfire in the recorded history of the Yellowstone National Park in the US. Spurred by drought conditions and winds, the fire quickly spread out of control and turned into one large fire that burned for several months.
August Complex Fire now the largest in recent California history, Creek Fire breaks top 10. The August Complex Fire in Northern California is now the largest fire in the state since record-keeping began. Here are the 10 largest fires in California history with figures accurate as of Monday, Oct. 5.
According to The Hartford Home Fire Index, the top five cities are: Detroit, Michigan; Shreveport, Louisiana; Boston, Massachusetts; Flint, Michigan and Richmond, Virginia.
One study showed that the burned areas consumed by California's wildfires have increased by more than 400% between 1972 and 2018.
Climate change is making wildfires even worse.Not only is the average wildfire season three and a half months longer than it was a few decades back, but the number of annual large fires in the West has tripled — burning twice as many acres.
A fire has also killed at least 10 people in California, the Butte County Sheriff's Office reported on Thursday evening. Officials are still searching for missing people. There have been at least 20 fatalities so far from the fires and the death toll is expected to rise.
Most wildfires are human-caused (88% on average from 2015 to 2019), although the wildfires caused by lightning tend to be slightly larger and burn more acreage (55% of the average acreage burned from 2015 to 2019 was ignited by lightning).
The Willow Fire, which ravaged Yuba County in September, was caused by arson, Cal Fire law enforcement officers announced in a news release Friday. The fire, which started about 1 a.m. Sept. 9, burned more than 1,300 acres before being fully contained Sept. 14.
One of 23 major wildfires burning in California was started by a pyrotechnic device used at a gender-reveal party, authorities said Sunday. The El Dorado Fire in Southern California was caused by a “smoke generating pyrotechnic device,” said the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention in a statement.
There was real concern – and good reasons for it – earlier this year about the potential for a prolonged 2020 California wildfire season. The state's peak wildfire season typically runs from May through October, but wildfires can occur at any time.
More than 4 million acres have burned in California, the most in recorded history. Colorado saw its largest wildfire and in Northern California, the August Complex has passed the one-million-acre mark, generating an entirely new term: "gigafire."
California wildfires mapIt is 45% contained and has burned 132 acres so far. The largest active fire is the Creek fire, which has burned 379,729 acres so far. It started on Sept. 4 and is 70% contained.
