List of California wildfires facts for kids

"California wildfire" redirects here. For the current fires in California, see 2024 California wildfires.

Santa Ana winds in California can make fires bigger and spread smoke far away, like in this picture from 2007.

The Rim Fire burned over 250,000 acres (100,000 ha) of forest near Yosemite National Park in 2013.

California is a beautiful state, but it often faces a big challenge: wildfires. These fires happen when dry weather, strong winds, and hot temperatures combine, especially from spring to late autumn. Wildfires can spread quickly and cause a lot of damage.

Historically, fires were a natural part of California's environment. Before the 1800s, huge areas of forests and shrublands would burn every year. Native Californians even used controlled fires to manage the land. This helped prevent really big, dangerous wildfires from taking over the state.

Since the early 2010s, wildfires in California have become more dangerous. This is due to more dry wood in forests, a growing population, and older power lines that are not always well-kept. These fires can be made worse by strong, dry winds. In Northern California, these are called Diablo winds. In Southern California, they are called Santa Ana winds.

Over 2.7 million people in California live in areas that are at high risk of fire. Most wildfires on state-protected lands are started by humans. The most common causes are equipment use, power lines, arson (fires started on purpose), and lightning.

A study from 2023 showed that these fires are harming California's natural environment. They are also disrupting the homes of many animals and plants. In 2020 and 2021, wildfires destroyed 30% of the homes for 50 different species. They also burned 10% of the homes for 100 other species.

Wildfire Statistics
Areas Where Fires Happen Often
See also

Wildfire Statistics

Area Burned Each Year

Remains of houses destroyed in the Oakland firestorm of 1991.

A satellite picture from October 2003, showing the Cedar Fire, one of California's biggest wildfires.

Since 2001, the National Interagency Fire Center has kept better records of how much land burns each year in California.

Year	Fires	Acres	Hectares
2000	7,622	295,026	119,393
2001	9,458	329,126	133,193
2002	8,328	969,890	392,500
2003	9,116	1,020,460	412,970
2004	8,415	264,988	107,237
2005	7,162	222,538	90,058
2006	8,202	736,022	297,858
2007	9,093	1,520,362	615,269
2008	6,255	1,593,690	644,940
2009	9,159	422,147	170,837
2010	6,554	109,529	44,325
2011	7,989	168,545	68,208
2012	7,950	869,599	351,914
2013	9,907	601,635	243,473
2014	7,865	625,540	253,150
2015	8,745	893,362	361,531
2016	6,986	669,534	270,951
2017	9,560	1,548,429	626,627
2018	8,527	1,975,086	799,289
2019	7,860	259,823	105,147
2020	9,639	4,397,809	1,779,730
2021	8,835	2,568,948	1,039,616
2022	7,490	362,455	146,680
2023	7,127	324,917	131,489
2000-23 Average	8,243	974,894	394,526
2000-23 Middle Value	8,265	647,537	262,049

Largest Wildfires

These are the 20 largest wildfires based on the area they burned. The information comes from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

	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	This was the largest wildfire from a single cause in California's history.
3.	Mendocino Complex	Mendocino, Lake, Colusa, Glenn	459,123	185,800	July 2018	280	1
4.	Park	Butte, Tehama	429,603	173,854	July 2024	637	0	This fire was the largest caused by arson.
5.	SCU Lightning Complex	Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Joaquin, Merced, Stanislaus	396,624	160,508	August 2020	222	0
6.	Creek	Fresno, Madera	379,895	153,738	September 2020	856	0
7.	LNU Lightning Complex	Colusa, Lake, Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Yolo	363,220	146,990	August 2020	1,491	6
8.	North Complex	Plumas, Butte	318,935	129,068	August 2020	2,352	15
9.	Santiago Canyon	Orange, Riverside, San Diego	300,000	120,000	September 1889	0	0	This fire happened before 1932, when fire records became more reliable.
10.	Thomas	Ventura, Santa Barbara	281,893	114,078	December 2017	1,063	23	This fire caused 2 direct deaths and 21 indirect deaths from later mudslides.
11.	Cedar	San Diego	273,246	110,579	October 2003	2,820	15
12.	Rush	Lassen	271,911	110,038	August 2012	0	0	This fire also burned 43,666 acres (17,671 ha) in Nevada.
13.	Rim	Tuolumne	257,314	104,131	August 2013	112	0
14.	Zaca	Santa Barbara	240,207	97,208	July 2007	1	0
15.	Carr	Shasta, Trinity	229,651	92,936	July 2018	1,614	8
16.	Monument	Trinity	223,124	90,295	July 2021	50	0
17.	Caldor	El Dorado, Amador, Alpine	221,835	89,773	August 2021	1,003	1
18.	Matilija	Ventura	220,000	89,000	September 1932	0	0
19.	River Complex	Siskiyou, Trinity	199,343	80,671	July 2021	122	0
20.	Witch	San Diego	197,990	80,120	October 2007	1,650	2

Deadliest Wildfires

These are the 20 deadliest wildfires in California history. The information comes from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

	Name	County	Acres	Hectares	Start date	Structures	Deaths	Notes
1.	Camp	Butte	153,336	62,050	November 2018	18,804	85	This fire was caused by Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
2.	Griffith Park	Los Angeles	47	19	October 1933	0	29	All deaths were 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	This fire caused 2 direct deaths and 21 indirect deaths from later mudslides.
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	16	Most of the people who died were from the towns of Berry Creek and Feather Falls.
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 escape the fire.
9.	Loop	Los Angeles	2,028	821	November 1966	0	12	All deaths were members of the El Cariso Hotshots, a firefighting team.
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

These are the 20 wildfires that destroyed the most buildings. The information comes from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

	Name	County	Acres	Hectares	Start date	Structures	Deaths	Notes
1.	Camp	Butte	153,336	62,050	November 2018	18,804	86	The town of Paradise was almost completely destroyed.
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	The towns of Berry Creek and Feather Falls were mostly destroyed.
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	The town of Greenville was mostly destroyed.
15.	Thomas	Ventura, Santa Barbara	281,893	114,078	December 2017	1,063	23	This fire caused 2 direct deaths and 22 indirect deaths from mudslides.
16.	Caldor	El Dorado, Amador, Alpine	221,835	89,773	August 2021	1,003	1	The town of Grizzly Flats was 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 Where Fires Happen Often

The summer 2008 wildfires were widespread and dangerous. Over 3,500 fires burned across Northern and Central California for about four months.

Some parts of California experience fires regularly. For example, in Oakland, fires have happened many times over the years. This includes major fires in 1923 and 1991.

Other areas like Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, and Los Angeles County also see repeated fires. These areas often have dry plants and hills that can easily catch fire, especially during droughts or hot summers. Fires have occurred in these areas in almost every decade since 1914.

Sometimes, lightning from thunderstorms can also start wildfires in these areas. Examples include the 1999 Megram Fire and the large 2008 California wildfires. The LNU and SCU Lightning Complex fires in 2020 were also started by lightning.