CALIFORNIA – Sept. 16, 2020 – Over 17,000 firefighters remain on the front lines of 25 major and 2 extended attack wildfires in California. Yesterday, crews made good progress on several fronts and as a result, evacuations on a couple fires were either lifted or downgraded. The weather pattern over much of California should be similar to yesterday with higher temperatures and fairly clear skies. The clearing of the smoke will have potential for increasing fire activity throughout the fire areas. Firefighters responded to 29 initial attack wildfires across the State.
Since the beginning of the year, there have been nearly 7,900 wildfires that have burned over 3.3 million acres in California. Since August 15, when California’s fire activity elevated, there have been 25 fatalities and over 4,200 structures destroyed.
A Fire Weather Watch is in effect over the eastern Sierra from Modoc County in the north to Inyo County in the south for gusty winds and low humidity, bringing critical fire weather conditions to the area. Seasonal temperatures and dry conditions continue through much of the state through today, with slight cooling possible tomorrow. A warming trend is expected to return this weekend, bringing elevated fire danger.
With no significant precipitation in sight, California remains dry and ripe for wildfires. Have you signed up for emergency alerts in case a fire near your home requires you to evacuate? If not, be sure to sign up for the alerts in your county here to make sure you are prepared, and to learn more about other ways to be ready for any emergency, visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org.
**CALFIRE Incidents**
Shackleford Fire, Siskiyou County (more…)
Southwest of Quartz Valley Reservation
*50 acres, 60% contained
LNU Lightning Complex, multiple North Bay counties (more info…)
Napa, Lake, Sonoma, Colusa, Solano, and Yolo Counties
*363,220 acres, 98% contained
*Hennessey (merged fires) 305,651 acres, 96% contained
*Wallbridge 55,209 acres, 95% contained
*1,491 structures destroyed
*5 fatalities
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
*20 fires in the complex, several have merged together
*222 structures destroyed
CZU Lightning Complex, San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties (more info…)
*86,509 acres, 93% contained
*Multiple fires
*1,490 structures destroyed
*1 fatality
Schoolhouse, Siskiyou County (more info…)
Schoolhouse Gap Road, north of Fort Jones
*45 acres, 90% contained
**Unified Command Incidents**
North Complex, Plumas County (more info…)
Southwest of Susanville (Plumas National Forest)
*273,335 acres, 36% contained
*15 fatalities
*865 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
Creek Fire, Fresno County (more info…)
Northeast of Shaver Lake (Sierra National Forest)
*220,025 acres, 18% contained
*Evacuations in effect
*Heavy tree mortality in the area
*CAL FIRE and US Forest Service in unified command
*CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 1 with Great Basin Team 1 in command
El Dorado Fire, San Bernardino County (more info…)
West of Oak Glen (San Bernardino National Forest)
*18,092 acres, 60% contained
*Evacuations in place
*California Interagency Incident Management Team 11 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
*16 structures destroyed
SQF Complex, Tulare County (more info…)
25 miles north of Kernville (Sequoia National Forest)
*114,320 acres, 12% contained
*Castle and Shotgun Fires merged into this complex
*CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 6 in unified command
Dolan Fire, Monterey County (more info…)
Hwy 1, 10 miles south of Big Sur (Los Padres National Forest)
*122,178 acres, 40% contained
*Structures threatened
*CAL FIRE is in unified command with Type 1 NW Team 2 (Allen)
**Coordinated Command Incidents**
August Complex, Tehama County (more info…)
Elk Creek and Stonyford area (Mendocino National Forest)
*817,952 acres 30% contained
*South Zone 531,471 acres
*North Zone 244,310 acres
*West Zone 42,171 acres
*Decreased acreage due to mapping by USFS
*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**
Slater Fire, Siskiyou County(more info…)
5 miles North of Happy Camp (Klamath National Forest)
*137,111 acres, 10% contained
*2 fatalities
*Evacuation orders in place
Devil Fire, Siskiyou County (more info…)
5 miles north of Upper Devil’s Peak (Klamath National Forest)
*5,459 acres, 0% contained
Bobcat Fire, Los Angeles County (more info…)
North of Duarte
Angeles National Forest
*44,393 acres, 3% containment
*Evacuations in progress
*EA Silver Team in command
Bullfrog Fire, Fresno County (more…)
SE of Bullfrog Lake, Sierra National Forest
*900 acres, 0% contained
Fork Fire, El Dorado County, (more info…)
15 miles northeast of Pollock Pines (El Dorado National Forest)
*1,752 acres, 24% contained
*Evacuation orders remain in place
Valley Fire, San Diego County (more info…)
Near Alpine (Cleveland National Forest)
*17,665 acres, 90% contained
*CAIIMT 15 in command
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)
*95,210 acres, 17% contained
Blue Jay Fire, Mariposa County (more info…)
Yosemite National Park Wilderness
*3,132 acres, 20% contained
Wolf Fire, Tuolumne County (more info…)
Yosemite National Park Wilderness
*624 acres, 10% contained
Woodward Fire, Marin County (more info…)
3 miles southwest of Olema (Point Reyes National Seashore)
*4,920 acres, 96% contained
Slink Fire, Mono County (more info…)
2 miles west of Coleville (Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest)
*26,752 acres, 71% 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
*1,596 acres, 0% 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 #12 Creek Fire.
- Most Destructive – #9 LNU Lightning Complex, #10 CZU Lightning Complex, and #16 North Complex
- Deadliest Wildfires – #5 North Complex and #20 LNU Lightning Complex
