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California Fire Updates

CALIFORNIA – Oct. 20,2020 – Over 7,000 firefighters remain on the frontlines today of 22 wildfires across the state, 12 of which remain major incidents. Yesterday, firefighters responded to 31 new initial attack wildfires across the State.

A Red Flag Warning has been issued by the National Weather Service due to critical fire weather. This warning is in effect through Wednesday morning for gusty wind and low humidity for portions of interior northern California and North Bay. A Fire Weather Watch is in effect from Wednesday evening through Friday afternoon for gusty winds and low humidity for the North Bay Mountains, areas of the East Bay Hills, the Diablo Range and the Santa Cruz Mountains. A second Fire Weather Watch in effect from Wednesday evening through Friday morning across a larger portion of the interior northwest of the state. CAL FIRE has increased staffing and is on high alert. Officials are urging the public to ensure they are prepared for wildfires, as well as take all precautions outdoors to prevent sparking a wildfire.

Since the beginning of the year, there have been over 8,700 wildfires that have burned well over 4.1 million acres in California. To date, the total number of fatalities statewide is 31 and more than 9,200 structures have been destroyed.

With the Red Flag Warning in effect, CAL FIRE is urging all Californians to take extreme caution to prevent sparking a wildfire. With an excessive heat warning, coupled with dry conditions, fire danger will be elevated. The public is asked to take steps to prevent sparking a wildfire. To learn more visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org.

Fires of Interest:

**CAL FIRE Incidents**
Cameron Fire, El Dorado County (more info…)
Off Hwy 50 and Durock Rd, Cameron Park
*15 acres, 95% contained

**Unified Command Incidents**
Glass Fire, Napa and Sonoma Counties (more info…)
4 miles east of Calistoga
*67,484 acres, 97% contained
*1,555 structures destroyed

Creek Fire, Fresno and Madera Counties (more info…)
Northeast of Shaver Lake (Sierra National Forest)
*352,339 acres, 61% contained
*Evacuations in place
*Heavy tree mortality in the area
*856 structures destroyed
*CAL FIRE is in unified command with California Interagency Incident Command Team 14 (South Zone) and CAIIMT 1 is in command of the North Zone.

**Federal Incidents**
August Complex, multiple Counties (more info…)
Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Mendocino, Tehama and Trinity Counties
Elk Creek and Stonyford area (Mendocino National Forest)
*1,032,264 acres, 91% contained
*South Zone 499,830 acres
*North East Zone 272,089 acres
*North West Zone 119,401 acres
*West Zone 140,944 acres
*1 fatality
*210 structures destroyed
*Includes multiple fires including the Elkhorn, Hopkins, Willow, Vinegar, and Doe fires
*The fire is being managed in four zones by 4 national Incident Management Teams

SQF Complex, Tulare County (more info…)
3 miles east of Giant Sequoia National Monument
*168,595 acres, 73% contained
*Evacuation order and warnings remain in place
*228 structures destroyed
*California Interagency Incident Management Team 13 is in command.

Coleman Fire, Monterey County (more info…)
North Fort Hunter Liggett
*554 acres, 0% contained
*Continued structure threat

North Complex, Plumas County (more info…)
Northeast of Oroville to southwest of Quincy (Plumas National Forest)
*318,930 acres, 95% contained
*15 fatalities
*2,352 structures destroyed

Slater Fire, Siskiyou County (more info…)
5 miles North of Happy Camp (Klamath National Forest)
*156,624 acres, 82% contained
*2 fatalities

Devil Fire, Siskiyou County (more info…)
5 miles north of Upper Devil’s Peak (Klamath National Forest)
*8,885 acres, 60% contained

Fork Fire, El Dorado County, (more info…)
15 miles northeast of Pollock Pines (El Dorado National Forest)
*1,670 acres, 85% contained

Red Salmon Complex – Humboldt County (more info…)
14 miles northeast of Willow Creek (Shasta-Trinity National Forest)
*143,180 acres, 65% contained

Blue Jay Fire, Mariposa County (more info…)
Yosemite National Park Wilderness
*6,640 acres, 50% contained

Wolf Fire, Tuolumne County (more info…)
Yosemite National Park Wilderness
*1,776 acres, 60% contained

Moraine, Tulare County (more info…)
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Wilderness
*760 acres, 70% contained

Rattlesnake, Tulare County (more info…)
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Wilderness
*6,830 acres, 40% contained

Dolan Fire, Monterey County (more info…)
Hwy 1, 10 miles south of Big Sur (Los Padres National Forest)
*124,924 acres, 98% contained

Slink Fire, Mono County (more info…)
2 miles west of Coleville (Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest)
*26,759 acres, 90% contained

Apple Fire, Riverside County (more info…)
Oak Glen/Cherry Valley (San Bernardino National Forest)
*33,424 acres, 95% contained

Bobcat Fire, Los Angeles County (more info…)
North of Duarte (Angeles National Forest)
*115,796 acres, 95% containment

Bullfrog Fire, Fresno County (more info…)
SE of Bullfrog Lake (Sierra National Forest)
*1,185 acres, 60% contained

El Dorado Fire, San Bernardino County (more info…)
West of Oak Glen (San Bernardino National Forest)
*22,744 acres, 95% contained
*1 fatality

**Local Incidents**
Bruder Fire, San Bernardino County  (more info…)
Live Oak Canyon, Redlands
*170 acres, 92% containment

Top 20 Wildfire Records

  • 5 of the Top 20 largest wildfires in California History have occurred in 2020.
  • Largest Wildfires – #1 August Complex, #3 SCU Lightning Complex, #4 LNU Lightning Complex, #5 Creek Fire, #6 North Complex and #18 SQF Complex
  • Most Destructive – #5 North Complex, #10 Glass Fire, #11 LNU Lightning Complex, #12 CZU Lightning Complex, #17 August Fire, #19 Creek Fire.

Deadliest Wildfires – #5 North Complex and #16 LNU Lightning Complex.

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