CALIFORNIA – Sept. 21, 2020 – Firefighters continue to battle 27 major wildfires in California, as well as one extended attack wildfire. With over 19,000 firefighters on the front lines, crews continue to gain ground on these fires. Yesterday, firefighters responded to 25 new initial attack wildfires across the State, all of which were quickly contained.
Since the beginning of the year, there have been well over 7,900 wildfires that have burned over 3.6 million acres in California. Since August 15, when California’s fire activity elevated, there have been 26 fatalities and over 6,400 structures destroyed.
Warm and dry conditions persist across much of the state. The marine layer along the coast has finally deepened, bringing some humidity recovery to those areas. Temperatures are expected to rise in many areas in the north and south portions of the state towards the latter half of the week along with a chance of north winds, increasing potential for critical fire weather.
California historically experiences some of the most devastating wildfires in the months of September and October. Do not let your guard down! To learn more ways to prevent sparking a wildfire visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org.
Fires of Interest:
**CALFIRE Incidents**
LNU Lightning Complex, multiple North Bay counties (more info…)
Napa, Lake, Sonoma, Colusa, Solano, and Yolo Counties
*363,220 acres, 98% contained
*While no growth is expected, fire suppression repair work is ongoing.
SCU Lightning Complex, multiple Easy Bay counties (more info…)
Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara San Joaquin, Merced, and Stanislaus Counties
*396,624 acres, 98% contained
*While no growth is expected, fire suppression repair work is ongoing.
CZU Lightning Complex, San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties (more info…)
*86,509 acres, 99% contained
*Multiple fires
*1,490 structures destroyed
*1 fatality
**Unified Command Incidents**
Snow Fire, Riverside County (more info…)
Snow Creek Rd, west of Palm Springs
*6,013 acres, 38% contained
*Repopulation has started
*Unified Command CAL FIRE, USFS, BLM
North Complex, Plumas County (more info…)
Southwest of Susanville (Plumas National Forest)
*294,301 acres, 64% contained
*15 fatalities
*1,784 Structures destroyed
*Evacuations in place
*Includes the Bear and Claremont Fire
*CAL FIRE Team 4 is in unified command with US Forest Service IMT Team 4, Butte County Sheriff’s Office and California State Parks
Creek Fire, Fresno County (more info…)
Northeast of Shaver Lake (Sierra National Forest)
*278,368 acres, 27% contained
*Evacuations in effect
*Heavy tree mortality in the area
*855 structures destroyed
*CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 1 in unified command with USFS Great Basin Team 1
El Dorado Fire, San Bernardino County (more info…)
West of Oak Glen (San Bernardino National Forest)
*24,489 acres, 59% contained
*One fatality
*Evacuations in place
*10 structures destroyed
*California Interagency Incident Management Team 13 in unified command with CAL FIRE, Yucaipa Fire Department and San Bernardino County Fire Department
Butte/Tehama/Glenn (BTU/TGU) Lightning Complex, multiple Counties (more info…)
Butte, Tehama and Glenn Counties
*19,609 acres, 97% contained
*14 structures destroyed
*While no growth is expected, fire suppression repair work is ongoing.
SQF Complex, Tulare County (more info…)
25 miles north of Kernville (Sequoia National Forest)
*135,802 acres, 14% contained
*Castle and Shotgun Fires merged into this complex
*CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 6 in unified command with USFS Team 2
**Coordinated Command Incidents**
August Complex, Tehama County (more info…)
Elk Creek and Stonyford area (Mendocino National Forest)
*846,732 acres
*South Zone 485,615 acres, 40% contained
*North Zone 267,341 acres, 26% contained
*West Zone 93,776 acres, 20% contained
*1 fatality
*Includes multiple fires including the Elkhorn, Hopkins, Willow, Vinegar, and Doe fires
*A California Interagency Incident Management Team and Great Basin Team in command
*CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 3 & 5 are deployed on the West Zone of the complex
**Federal Incidents**
Fox Fire, Siskiyou County (more info…)
*1,937 acres, 22% contained
*Evacuations in place
Slater Fire, Siskiyou County (more info…)
5 miles North of Happy Camp (Klamath National Forest)
*148,677 acres, 22% contained
*2 fatalities
*Evacuation orders in place
Devil Fire, Siskiyou County (more info…)
5 miles north of Upper Devil’s Peak (Klamath National Forest)
*7,458 acres, 18% contained
Bobcat Fire, Los Angeles County (more info…)
North of Duarte (Angeles National Forest)
*105,345 acres, 15% containment
*Evacuations in place
*Unified command with the US Forest Service, Los Angeles County Fire Department and Monrovia Fire Department
Dolan Fire, Monterey County (more info…)
Hwy 1, 10 miles south of Big Sur (Los Padres National Forest)
*128,416 acres, 46% contained
*Structures threatened
*California Interagency Incident Command Team 15 assuming command today
Bullfrog Fire, Fresno County (more info…)
SE of Bullfrog Lake (Sierra National Forest)
*900 acres, 20% contained
Fork Fire, El Dorado County, (more info…)
15 miles northeast of Pollock Pines (El Dorado National Forest)
*1,667 acres, 63% contained
Valley Fire, San Diego County (more info…)
Near Alpine (Cleveland National Forest)
*17,093 acres, 95% contained
Lake Fire, Los Angeles County (more info…)
Southwest of Lake Hughes
Angeles National Forest / Los Angeles County Fire Department
* 31,089 acres, 96% contained
Apple Fire, Riverside County (more info…)
Oak Glen/Cherry Valley (San Bernardino National Forest)
*33,424 acres, 95% contained
Red Salmon Complex – Humboldt County (more info…)
14 miles northeast of Willow Creek (Shasta-Trinity National Forest)
*103,348 acres, 20% contained
Blue Jay Fire, Mariposa County (more info…)
Yosemite National Park Wilderness
*4,427 acres, 40% contained
Wolf Fire, Tuolumne County (more info…)
Yosemite National Park Wilderness
*1,032 acres, 25% contained
Woodward Fire, Marin County (more info…)
3 miles southwest of Olema (Point Reyes National Seashore)
*4,929 acres, 97% contained
Slink Fire, Mono County (more info…)
2 miles west of Coleville (Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest)
*26,752 acres, 84% contained
Moraine, Tulare County (more info…)
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Wilderness
*575 acres, 70% contained
Rattlesnake, Tulare County (more info…)
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Wilderness
*2,078 acres, 0% contained
**Extended Attack Wildfires**
(These are wildfires that go beyond the initial attack, but are not major incidents.)
Shackleford Fire, Siskiyou County (more info…)
Southwest of Quartz Valley Reservation
*50 acres, 98% contained
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, #7 North Complex, and #10 Creek Fire.
- Most Destructive – #9 LNU Lightning Complex, #10 CZU Lightning Complex, #6 North Complex, and #18 Creek Fire.
- Deadliest Wildfires – #5 North Complex and #20 LNU Lightning Complex