CALIFORNIA – Oct. 4, 2020 – More than 16,500 firefighters continue to work towards containment on 23 major wildfires across the state. While Red Flag conditions have subsided, warm temperatures and low humidity continue to challenge crews’ efforts. Yesterday, firefighters also responded to 27 new wildfires, bringing full containment to all.
Since the beginning of the year, there have been over 8,200 wildfires that have burned well over 4 million acres in California. To date, the total number of fatalities statewide is 31 and over 8,454 structures have been destroyed.
Temperatures will remain warm today across the state, but a cooling trend is expected to begin slowly, decreasing temperatures slightly each day. More seasonal temperatures expected by the end of the week, with a chance of some precipitation in the most northern part of the State. Expect locally gusty winds over the next few days on the west edge of the Sacramento Valley, the North and East Bay, and Southern California mountain ranges. A Fire Weather Warning is in effect for very Northeastern California afternoon from 2pm to 8pm for strong, gusty winds with low humidity in the Tulelake Basin region.
As crews contain the wildfires, evacuations will be lifted and residents allowed to return home. Sounds simple, but did you know there are many hazards to watch out for when you get to your property? Crews still working in the area, hot spots and potential hidden fire damage are just a few of the things for you to be aware. To learn more about returning home after a wildfire, visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org.
Fires of Interest:
**CAL FIRE Incidents**
Zogg Fire, Shasta County (more info…)
Southwest of Redding
*56,305 acres, 68% contained
*4 Fatalities
*Evacuation orders in place
*CAL FIRE Team 2 in command
Glass Fire, Napa and Sonoma County (more info…)
4 miles east of Calistoga
*63,885 acres, 17% contained
*Evacuation orders in effect and additional evacuations in progress
*CAL FIRE Team 3 in command
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
**Unified Command Incidents**
Martindale Fire, Los Angeles County (more info…)
Bouquet Canyon, Northeast of Santa Clarita
*230 acres, 98% contained
*Unified Command USFS and Los Angeles County FD
Creek Fire, Fresno County (more info…)
Northeast of Shaver Lake (Sierra National Forest)
*315,413 acres, 62% contained
*Evacuations in place
*Heavy tree mortality in the area
*852 structures destroyed
*CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 1 in unified command with USFS Great Basin Team 1
SQF Complex, Tulare County (more info…)
3 miles east of Giant Sequoia National Monument
*156,435 acres, 65% contained
*Evacuations in place
*232 structures destroyed
*CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 6 in unified command with USFS Team 2
**Coordinated Command Incidents**
August Complex, multiple Counties (more info…)
Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Mendocino, Tehama and Trinity Counties
Elk Creek and Stonyford area (Mendocino National Forest)
*987,654 acres, 51% contained
*South Zone 492,072 acres, 72% contained
*North Zone 366,283 acres, 37% contained
*West Zone 129,299 acres, 55% contained
*1 fatality
*159 structures destroyed
*Includes multiple fires including the Elkhorn, Hopkins, Willow, Vinegar, and Doe fires
*Pacific North West Team 2 in command of the South Zone
*Alaska Incident Management Team 1 is in command of the North Zone
*CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 5 is in unified command on the West Zone
**Federal Incidents**
North Complex, Plumas County (more info…)
Northeast of Oroville to southwest of Quincy (Plumas National Forest)
*318,412 acres, 83% contained
*15 fatalities
*2,342 structures destroyed
*Evacuations in place
*Includes the Bear and Claremont Fire
Snow Fire, Riverside County (more info…)
Snow Creek Rd, west of Palm Springs
*6,254 acres, 95% contained
El Dorado Fire, San Bernardino County (more info…)
West of Oak Glen (San Bernardino National Forest)
*22,744 acres, 93% contained
*1 fatality
*10 structures destroyed
*California Interagency Incident Management Team 13 in command
Slater Fire, Siskiyou County (more info…)
5 miles North of Happy Camp (Klamath National Forest)
*154,814 acres, 55% contained
*2 fatalities
*Evacuation orders in place
Devil Fire, Siskiyou County (more info…)
5 miles north of Upper Devil’s Peak (Klamath National Forest)
*8,598 acres, 25% contained
Bobcat Fire, Los Angeles County (more info…)
North of Duarte (Angeles National Forest)
*115,548 acres, 84% containment
*Evacuations in place
Dolan Fire, Monterey County (more info…)
Hwy 1, 10 miles south of Big Sur (Los Padres National Forest)
*124,924 acres, 91% contained
*Structures threatened
*California Interagency Incident Command Team 15 in command
Bullfrog Fire, Fresno County (more info…)
SE of Bullfrog Lake (Sierra National Forest)
*1,185 acres, 50% contained
Fork Fire, El Dorado County, (more info…)
15 miles northeast of Pollock Pines (El Dorado National Forest)
*1,667 acres, 70% 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)
*130,154 acres, 33% contained
Blue Jay Fire, Mariposa County (more info…)
Yosemite National Park Wilderness
*5,335 acres, 50% contained
Wolf Fire, Tuolumne County (more info…)
Yosemite National Park Wilderness
*1,092 acres, 60% contained
Slink Fire, Mono County (more info…)
2 miles west of Coleville (Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest)
*26,759 acres, 86% contained
Moraine, Tulare County (more info…)
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Wilderness
*694 acres, 70% contained
Rattlesnake, Tulare County (more info…)
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Wilderness
*4,471 acres, 30% 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, #5 North Complex, and #6 Creek Fire.
- Most Destructive – #5 North Complex, #10 LNU Lightning Complex, #11 CZU Lightning Complex, and #17 Creek Fire.
Deadliest Wildfires – #5 North Complex and #16 LNU Lightning Complex.
