2020 California wildfires facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 2020 California wildfires
From top to bottom, and left to right; September 10 satellite image of the wildfires burning in California and Oregon; The Aurora Fire on June 26, 2020; The Bobcat Fire burning in the San Gabriel mountains near Monrovia; Smoke from the North Complex over the Bay Bridge at noon on September 9; An orange sky over Eureka on Sept 9; The CZU Lightning Complex fires along Butano Ridge on August 18; The Loyalton Fire near Calpine; The Hennessey and Spanish Fires burn towards Lake Berryessa on August 18, 2020
Statistics
Total fires	8,648
Total area	4,304,379 acres (1,741,920 ha)
Cost	>$12.079 billion (2020 USD) (Third-costliest on record)
Date(s)	February 15, 2020–January 5, 2021
Buildings destroyed	11,116 (Cal Fire) 9,211 (NIFC)
Deaths	33
Non-fatal injuries	37
Map
A map of wildfires in California in 2020, using Cal Fire data
Season
← 2019 2021 →

Five of the twenty largest wildfires in California history were part of the 2020 wildfire season.

An August 19, 2020 satellite image of the wildfires burning in Northern California, covering a significant portion of California and nearby states.

The 2020 California wildfire season was a year with a huge number of wildfires in California. It was part of the larger 2020 Western United States wildfire season. During 2020, 8,648 fires burned over 4.3 million acres. This is more than four percent of California's total land.

This made 2020 the biggest wildfire season ever recorded in California's recent history. One fire, the August Complex fire, was so large it was called the first "gigafire." It burned over 1 million acres, which is bigger than the state of Rhode Island. These fires destroyed more than 10,000 buildings. They also cost over $12 billion in damages and fighting the fires.

Experts believe the many fires happened because of two main reasons. First, for over a century, forests were not managed well. Second, higher temperatures from climate change made conditions worse.

On August 18, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency. This meant the state needed extra help to deal with the fires. Many fires started on August 16–17 from strong thunderstorms. These storms were caused by moisture from a tropical storm. Fighting the fires and helping people evacuate was harder because of a heatwave and the COVID-19 pandemic.

In early September 2020, very strong winds and a heatwave made the fires grow quickly. The August Complex fire became the largest fire ever recorded in California. The Creek Fire trapped hundreds of campers. The North Complex grew fast, threatening the city of Oroville. This fire caused many people to leave their homes and led to 16 deaths.

Understanding California's Wildfire Season

What Causes Wildfires in California?

Wildfires are a natural part of California's environment. But in recent years, they have become much larger and more dangerous. Scientists say that before the 1850s, fires burned even more land each year. Native American tribes used to set controlled fires. This helped clear out dead plants and reduce the risk of huge wildfires.

How Land Management Affects Fires

For a long time, people have tried to stop all wildfires. This has caused a lot of dead plants and trees to build up in forests. This buildup acts like fuel, making fires much bigger and harder to control when they do start. Many scientists agree that we need more "controlled burns." These are small, planned fires that clear out fuel safely.

More people are also building homes in areas where fires are common. This means more buildings are at risk when a wildfire happens.

The Role of Climate Change

The Los Angeles Times on 13 September described the fire as a climate apocalypse.

Climate change makes wildfires in California worse. It causes higher temperatures and increases the risk of droughts. Droughts mean less rain, making plants and trees very dry and easy to burn. Experts say that the heatwaves and lightning storms that started many fires in 2020 were made worse by global warming.

David Romps, a science expert, said that global warming made the heat, lightning, and dry plants much worse. Another expert, Friederike Otto, agreed. She said there is "absolutely no doubt" that the very high temperatures were higher because of human-caused climate change.

Fires Started by People

Some fires are started by people, sometimes by accident. For example, the El Dorado Fire in 2020 was started by a device at a gender reveal party. Other fires are suspected to have been started on purpose. For instance, a person was investigated for starting the Dolan Fire. Another person was investigated for starting the Markley Fire.

When Do Wildfires Usually Happen?

The peak of California's wildfire season is usually from July to November. This is when the weather is hot and dry. Strong, dry winds, like the Santa Ana winds, also happen often during this time. These winds can spread fires very quickly. The fire season usually ends when the first big autumn rainstorm arrives. This is usually in October in Northern California and November in Southern California.

How Wildfires Affect Nature

Wildfires have a big impact on California's natural environment. A study from 2023 looked at how the 2020 and 2021 fires affected ecosystems. It found that these two years saw a huge amount of land burn.

The fires destroyed parts of the homes of many animal and plant species. For example, 30% of the habitat for 50 different species was burned. For 100 other species, at least 10% of their homes were affected. Some areas burned very severely, meaning almost everything was destroyed.

Major Wildfires of 2020

Smoke from the Slater fire on September 8

Here is a list of some of the largest fires in California during 2020. These fires either burned more than 1,000 acres or caused a lot of damage or injuries.

See Also

• List of California wildfires
• 2020 Western United States wildfire season