Five of the twenty largest wildfires in California history were part of the 2020 wildfire season.An August 19, 2020 satellite image of the wildfires burning in Northern California, covering a significant portion of California and nearby states.
The 2020 California wildfire season, part of the 2020 Western United States wildfire season, was a record-setting year of wildfires in California. By the end of the year, 9,917 fires[1] had burned 4,397,809 acres (1,779,730 ha),[2][3][3] more than 4% of the state's roughly 100 million acres of land, making 2020 the largest wildfire season recorded in California's modern history (according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection),[5][6] though roughly equivalent to the pre-1800 levels which averaged around 4.4 million acres yearly and up to 12 million in peak years.[7] California's August Complex fire has been described as the first "gigafire", burning over 1 million acres across seven counties, an area larger than the state of Rhode Island. The fires destroyed over 10,000 structures[1] and cost over $12.079 billion (2020 USD) in damages, including over $10 billion in property damage and $2.079 billion in fire suppression costs.[4][2] The intensity of the fire season has been attributed to a combination of more than a century of poor forest management[8][9] and higher temperatures resulting from climate change.[10][11]
On August 18, Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency,[12] and on August 19, 2020, reported that the state was battling 367 known fires, many sparked by intense thunderstorms on August 16–17 caused by moisture from the remnants of Tropical Storm Fausto. Response and evacuations were complicated by a historic heatwave and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. On August 22, President Donald Trump issued a major disaster declaration (DR-4558), which provides Individual Assistance and/or Public Assistance.
In early September 2020, a combination of a record-breaking heat wave and strong katabatic winds, (including the Jarbo, Diablo, and Santa Ana) caused explosive fire growth. The August Complex became California's largest recorded wildfire.[13] The Creek Fire expanded in the Big Creek drainage area, temporarily trapping hundreds of campers near the Mammoth Pool Reservoir. The North Complex explosively grew in size as the winds fanned it westward, threatening the city of Oroville, triggering mass evacuations, and causing 16 fatalities.[14]
Governor Newsom's request for a federal disaster declaration for six major wildfires was approved on October 17 after having been rejected the previous day.[15][16]
On November 10, 2020, the National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC) reported that there were around 3,400 firefighters plus personnel fighting the wildfires in the United States.
Early outlook
Early in the year, there was a concern for the 2020 fire season to potentially be prolonged and especially grave, due to the unusually dry months of January and February, one of the driest such periods of any calendar year on record.[17] On March 22, a state of emergency was declared by California Governor Gavin Newsom due to a mass die-off of trees throughout the state, potentially increasing the risk of wildfires.[18] However, throughout March and April, rain began to consistently fall in the state, which alleviated the drought conditions. Despite this, Northern California was still expected to have severe wildfire conditions due to the moderate or severe drought conditions in the area, whereas Central and Southern California were expected to have serious fire conditions later in the year due to the late wet season and precipitation.[19]
On June 18, climate scientist Daniel Swain predicted the 2020 Arizona wildfire season was a sign of what was to come in California, due to similar drought and weather conditions between Arizona and Northern California.[20]
The year 2020 was the largest wildfire year recorded in California history, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.[2][5] From a historical perspective, the average annual acres burned prior to 1850 were probably significantly larger than years since reliable fire records began. Scott Stephens, a professor of fire science at UC Berkeley, estimated that prior to 1850, about 4,500,000 acres (1,800,000 ha) burned yearly, in fires that lasted for months. Activity peaked roughly every 30 years, with up to 11,800,000 acres (4,800,000 ha) burning during peak years.[8][9][21] The indigenous peoples of California historically set controlled burns and allowed natural fires to run their course.[8][7]
The peak of the wildfire season usually occurs between July and November when hot, dry winds are most frequent. The wildfire season typically does not end until the first significant rainstorm of autumn arrives, which is usually around October in Northern California, and early November in Southern California.[citation needed]
As wildfire becomes more frequent, the wildland–urban interface has increasingly become more dangerous when it comes to property damage and risk to life.[22]
Causes
Land development and forest management
Scientists believe that, prior to development, California fires regularly burned significantly more acreage than has been seen in recent history.[23] Wildfires have been aggressively suppressed in recent years, resulting in a buildup of fuel, increasing the risk of large uncontrollable fires. There is broad scientific consensus that there should be more controlled burning of forests in California in order to reduce fire risk.[23] A 2020 ProPublica investigation blames a combination of climate change and a history of insufficient controlled burning for the increase in "megafires."[9] A sharp increase in the population and development of fire-prone areas has also contributed to the increase in flammable tinder.[24]
Climate change increases the temperature of wildfires in California, the risk for drought, and potentially also the frequency of such events.[25][10] David Romps, director of the Berkeley Atmospheric Sciences Center summarizes the situation as follows: "To cut to the chase: Were the heat wave and the lightning strikes and the dryness of the vegetation affected by global warming? Absolutely yes. Were they made significantly hotter, more numerous, and drier because of global warming? Yes, likely yes, and yes."[11]
Similarly, Friederike Otto, acting director of the University of Oxford Environmental Change Institute states, "There is absolutely no doubt that the extremely high temperatures are higher than they would have been without human-induced climate change. A huge body of attribution literature demonstrates now that climate change is an absolute game-changer when it comes to heat waves, and California won't be the exception."[26] Susan Clark, director of the Sustainability Initiative at the University at Buffalo argues, "This is climate change. This increased intensity and frequency of temperatures and heat waves are part of the projections for the future. [...] There is going to be more morbidity and mortality [from heat.] There are going to be more extremes."[26]
The National Interagency Fire Center's (NFIC) National Interagency Coordination (NICC) reported that monthly outlooks for the entire country will still drive wildfires across the country but especially California. The main drivers through fall and winter seasons will be La Nina, and drought conditions are going to continue through California, causing the wildfires to continue. The shift will start from Northern California to Southern California as precipitation will lessen the impact of wildfires across northern California.[citation needed][needs update]
Arson
In August 2020, a suspect was charged by the Monterey County Sheriff with arson relating to the Dolan Fire; however, this has not been officially determined as the cause of the fire.[27][28] In April 2021, another suspect, already arrested and charged for the murder of a woman, was charged with arson relating to the Markley Fire, one of the wildfires involving in the LNU Lightning Complex fires; according to authorities, the fire was set to cover up the aforementioned murder.[29] Arson has also been suspected as the cause of the Ranch 2 Fire in Los Angeles County.[citation needed]
Effects
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A 2023 study found that these wildfires are affecting the California ecosystem and disrupting the habitats.[30][31] It found that in the 2020 and 2021 fire seasons 58% of the area affected by wildfires occurred in those two seasons since 2012.[30][32] These two fires destroyed 30% of the habitat of 50 species as well as 100 species that had 10% of their habitats burn. 5-14% of the species' habitats burned at a "high severity."[30][33]
List of wildfires
The Government of California's video about COVID-19 protocols in place at wildfire evacuation centers.Smoke from the Slater fire on September 8
The following is a list of fires that burned more than 1,000 acres (400 ha), or produced significant structural damage or casualties.
Several lightning-sparked fires burning close together across San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties; 1,490 structures destroyed; 140 structures damaged; 1 injury; 1 fatality.
Deer Zone, Marsh, Canyon Zone and other surrounding fires combined into one multi-fire incident by CalFire; all believed to have been sparked by an intense and widespread lightning storm; 222 structures destroyed; 26 structures damaged; 6 injuries. It is the third-largest fire complex in California history.
Information for the August Complex as a whole. Originally 38 separate fires, which later merged to become California's largest recorded wildfire. Main fires were the Doe and Elkhorn Fires, which merged on September 11. One firefighter fatality; 2 injuries; 935 structures destroyed; 5 structures damaged.
Multi-fire incident that includes the Hennessey Fire (305,651 acres), the Walbridge Fire (55,209 acres), and the Meyers Fire (2,360 acres) sparked by lightning; 1,491 structures destroyed; 232 structures damaged; 5 injuries; 6 fatalities.[86] It is the fifth-largest fire complex in California history.
Lightning sparked, includes the Claremont Fire and the Bear Fire; 2,342 structures destroyed; 113 structures damaged; 16 fatalities;[92] 13 injuries; It is the sixth-largest fire in California history and scorched more than 300,000 acres of land.
856 structures destroyed, 71 structures damaged; 15 injuries; At the time, it was the fourth-largest fire and the largest single (non-complex) fire in California history (surpassed by the Dixie Fire in 2021).
Sparked by a pyrotechnic device at a gender reveal party. 10 structures destroyed, 5 structures damaged; 1 firefighter fatality; 13 injuries.[112] Burned into the western perimeter of the Apple Fire on September 7.
Includes the Slater Fire (157,270 acres, 100% contained on November 12) and the Devil Fire (8,857 acres, 100% contained on November 16). 2 fatalities; 440 structures destroyed. Spread northward into Josephine County, Oregon.
^ abStephens, Scott L.; Martin, Robert E.; Clinton, Nicholas E. (November 15, 2007). "Prehistoric fire area and emissions from California's forests, woodlands, shrublands, and grasslands". Forest Ecology and Management. 251 (3): 205–216. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2007.06.005. ISSN0378-1127. Archived from the original on August 12, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2020. Lacking from current wildfire discussions are estimates of the spatial extent of fire and their resultant emissions before the influences of Euro-American settlement and this is the focus of this work. We summarize the literature on fire history (fire rotation and fire return intervals) and past Native American burning practices to estimate past fire occurrence by vegetation type. ... Approximately 1.8 million ha burned annually in California prehistorically (pre 1800).
^Westervelt, Eric (October 27, 2020). "Experts To Western States: Time To Finally Fight Wildfires With More Fire". NPR. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020. In terms of forest health, [fire ecologist and professor with the Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center at San Jose State University Kate] Wilkin says, California is supposed to burn. So when the state topped 4 million acres burned earlier this month, setting a record, Wilkin thought, "Wow, we're actually getting into the ballpark of how many acres used to burn in California every year. Historically, somewhere between 4.4 million and 12 million acres used to burn every year."
^"Blue Jay Fire Information". inciweb.nwcg.gov. InciWeb. November 20, 2020. Archived from the original on September 7, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
^"El Dorado Fire Information". inciweb.nwcg.gov. InciWeb. November 18, 2020. Archived from the original on September 24, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
^"El Dorado Fire". fire.ca.gov. November 18, 2020. Archived from the original on September 6, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
Rexroat, Rex (April 20, 2021). "The Day the San Francisco Sky Turned Orange". The New Yorker. On September 9, 2020, a convergence of wildfire smoke and fog cast an eerie tint over the Bay Area.
