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Fires Continue to Burn Across California

CALIFORNIA – Sept. 22, 2020 – Over 18,700 firefighters continue to battle 27 major wildfires in California. Yesterday, firefighters were able to contain the 50 acre Shackleford Fire in Siskiyou County, as well as 18 new initial attack wildfires throughout the State.

Since the beginning of the year, there have been well over 8,000 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 6,500 structures destroyed.

California will continue with mostly seasonal temperatures today into Wednesday.  The milder weather that much of California is currently experiencing will be coming to an end this weekend with a sharp increase temperatures arrives as high pressure builds over the region.

Today marks the first day of Fall and this is the time period California historically experiences some of the largest and most devastating wildfires. Even with cooler temperatures, 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**
North Complex, Plumas County (more info…)
Southwest of Susanville (Plumas National Forest)
*299,723 acres, 74% 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)
*283,724 acres, 30% 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)
*22,588 acres, 60% 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

SQF Complex, Tulare County (more info…)
25 miles north of Kernville (Sequoia National Forest)
*141,600 acres, 33% contained
*Castle and Shotgun Fires merged into this complex
*CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 6 in unified command with USFS Team 2

Bobcat Fire, Los Angeles County (more info…)
North of Duarte (Angeles National Forest)
*109,271 acres, 17% containment
*Evacuations in place
*Unified command with the US Forest Service, Los Angeles County Fire Department and Monrovia Fire Department

Snow Fire, Riverside County (more info…)
Snow Creek Rd, west of Palm Springs
*6,013 acres, 52% contained
*Repopulation has started
*Unified Command CAL FIRE, USFS, BLM

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.

**Coordinated Command Incidents**
August Complex, Tehama County (more info…)
Elk Creek and Stonyford area (Mendocino National Forest)
*878,368 acres
*South Zone 487,551 acres, 40% contained
*North Zone 295,649 acres, 29% contained
*West Zone 95,168 acres, 35% 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 
(more info…)
*2,029 acres, 43% contained
*Evacuations in place

Slater Fire, Siskiyou County (more info…)
5 miles North of Happy Camp (Klamath National Forest)
*150,230 acres, 24% 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

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

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, 70% 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)
*104,667 acres, 28% contained

Blue Jay Fire, Mariposa County (more info…)
Yosemite National Park Wilderness
*4,061 acres, 40% contained

Wolf Fire, Tuolumne County (more info…)
Yosemite National Park Wilderness
*900 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…)  FINAL
Southwest of Quartz Valley Reservation
*50 acres, 100% 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, #6 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

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