Track California Wildfires

When is fire season in California?

• As the climate crisis intensifies, California faces the risk of wildfires all year now, particularly in years of extreme drought conditions that leave the state's foliage a tinderbox.
• Most fires happen between the months of April and October, as weather becomes warmer and drier. In Southern California in particular, the hot and dry Santa Ana winds increase wildfire risk in October and November.
• Some of the worst wildfires in California history occurred outside that window. The Camp Fire in 2018, which killed 85 and destroyed the town of Paradise outside Redding in Northern California, was a November fire.

How large have wildfires been over time?

• Megadroughts and rising temperatures aggravated by climate change have increased the frequency and intensity of California wildfires in recent years.
• As of 2022, half of the state's 20 largest fires had occurred over the previous five years. Of those, seven occurred in 2020 and 2021. All but two of the state's largest fires occurred in the 21st century.

• Three major blazes ignited by lightning strikes in August 2020 made that year one of the worst on record for total acres burned. At least 4.3 million acres burned, blanketing large parts of California with toxic smoke for weeks.

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• Cal Fire classifies any wildfire that burns 300 or more acres as a "large fire.”
• Since 2008, the destructiveness of large wildfires has been rising, particularly for acres burned per fire.

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What causes wildfires?

• As you would expect, wildfires ignite in many ways. Since 2008, large fires caused by lightning strikes have destroyed close to 7 million acres of land, followed by 2.7 million acres destroyed due to human causes, not counting the nearly 2 million acres due to malfunctioning power company infrastructure.
• Lightning strikes can cause widespread damage in the most remote areas of the state. Mixed with super-dry conditions, you get something like the fire siege of 2020 – the state's most destructive fire year on record in terms of acres burned – when several massive wildfires ignited throughout the state around the same time, destroying millions of acres of land and blanketing the state with toxic smoke for weeks.
• People can start wildfires intentionally, through arson, or unintentionally, through an equipment mishap or an untended campfire. The state's third largest wildfire – the 2018 Mendocino Complex fire – was caused by sparks from a hammer and grew to consume 460,000 acres.
• Finally, power companies, such as PG&E, can cause destructive wildfires through delayed maintenance of power transmission and distribution equipment, or downed power lines due to bad weather. One example was the 2018 Camp Fire – the state's most deadly and destructive on record – in which PG&E was found liable for its cause.
• Investigators are unable to determine the cause of every wildfire. Since 2008, large wildfires that burned 3.7 million acres of land were either still under investigation at the time of Cal Fire's annual fire report, or a cause was never determined.

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How many people have died due to wildfires?

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• This does not include people who may have died later due to exposure to smoke, which contains toxic gasses and fine particles.

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What's the mental toll on firefighters?

• Firefighters and high-ranking fire officials say PTSD and suicidal thoughts are an epidemic at Cal Fire. The state agency doesn't compile data on suicides or PTSD; it only tracks the number of times that firefighters and their families reach out for assistance over issues such as grief, substance abuse and suicidal thoughts.
• Firefighters are more likely to die of suicide than in the line of duty. Read more about the mental health impacts on firefighters at the link below.

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What's the financial cost?

• Cal Fire reports the "dollar damage" of wildfires in their annual Redbook report.
• Dollar damage is defined as "estimates of the total property and contents dollar loss in terms of replacement in like kind and quantity.” It includes “property and contents damaged by fire, smoke, water, and overhaul."
• Dollar damage does not include fire suppression or indirect costs, such as lost economic activity.

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How many structures have been impacted by wildfires?

• When wildfires sweep across the landscape, they destroy houses, buildings and infrastructure, such as water pumps and power lines.
• Cal Fire tracks how many structures were damaged or destroyed in fires. Strucutres include homes, commercial properties and outbuildings, such as barns, garages and sheds.

• Nine of the 20 most destructive fires occurred in the last five years, and all but two occurred in the 21st century. The most destructive fire on record was also the deadliest: the Camp Fire in 2018, which destroyed the city of Paradise.

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How much has been spent on fire suppression?

• Cal Fire routinely spends more money than allocated in its budget to suppress wildfires.
• Fire suppression costs surpassed the billion dollar mark for the first time in 2020.

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Interested in joining the conversation about how to protect your communities from wildfires? Here are options:

• Contact your state legislators: Lawmakers can wield state policy to address wildfire issues. CalMatters has a handy tool to help you find your legislators, and details about their work.