King Fire
A night-time scene shows a firefighter is silhouetted bottom right against a stand of dark conifer trees, one of them completely ablaze
A USFS firefighter watches the King Fire torching trees near Pollock Pines on September 14, 2014
Date(s)
  • September 13, 2014 (2014-09-13) –
  • October 9, 2014 (2014-10-09)
LocationEl Dorado County, California
Coordinates38°46′55″N 120°36′14″W / 38.782°N 120.604°W / 38.782; -120.604
Statistics[1][2][3]
Burned area97,717 acres (39,545 ha; 153 sq mi; 395 km2)
Impacts
Deaths0
Non-fatal injuries12
Evacuated2,830
Structures destroyed
  • 12 residences
  • 68 outbuildings
Damage
  • $117 million
  • (equivalent to about $148 million in 2023)
Ignition
CauseArson
Map
The footprint of the King Fire, west of Lake Tahoe and north of U.S. Route 50
The footprint of the King Fire, west of Lake Tahoe and north of U.S. Route 50
King Fire is located in California
King Fire
Location of fire in Northern California

The 2014 King Fire was a large wildfire in El Dorado County, California, which burned 97,717 acres (39,545 hectares) primarily in the Eldorado National Forest. The wildfire started on September 13, 2014, near Pollock Pines, California, to the east of Sacramento. The ensuing fire suppression effort, which cost more than $100 million and engaged more than 8,000 personnel at its peak, allowed for the full containment of the King Fire by October 9, 2014. Despite the size and ferocity of the fire, it caused no deaths. Eighty structures were destroyed, the majority of them outbuildings. The King Fire was determined to have been caused by an act of arson and a suspect was swiftly apprehended and convicted in 2016.

Background

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Much of the Eldorado National Forest where the King Fire burned had no recent fire history. The last major wildfire there had been the Cleveland Fire in 1992, which burned roughly 22,500 acres (9,100 ha).[4][5]

Progression

The King Fire began on Saturday, September 13, 2014.[6] It was ignited by an act of arson along King of the Mountain Road—from which the fire got its name—in Pollock Pines, a small community along U.S. Route 50 in the western Sierra Nevada between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe.[7]

On September 16, three days after starting, the fire had spread to 11,520 hectares (115.2 km2), forcing the evacuation of over five hundred homes.[8] A handcrew of ten inmates and a fire captain were saved from being overrun when they were led to safety by a helicopter that was staged at the nearby Swansboro Country Airport.[9]

On September 17, the fire underwent a rapid expansion, pushing forward 15 miles (24 km) and burning an additional 50,000 acres (20,000 ha).[6] Firebrands and embers created spot fires more than three miles (4.8 km) downwind of the main fire.[4] California governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in El Dorado County, citing the fire's threat to water and power infrastructure.[10]

By September 18, the fire had expanded to 73,184 acres (29,617 ha), becoming the second largest wildfire of the 2014 California wildfire season.[10][11]

By the start of October the fire had grown to 97,099 acres (39,295 ha) with containment increasing to 94%.[11] On October 9, the perimeter of the King Fire was reported to be 100% contained, with a final acreage of 97,717 acres (39,545 ha).[3][12]

On October 10, the closure area was reduced, as additional progress was made.[3] During the next several days, the wildfire was diminished further, as the weather in the region entered a cooling trend.[citation needed]

The U.S. Forest Service calculated the total cost of fighting the King Fire at approximately $117 million.[6]

Cause

The firefighters first on scene detected multiple points of origin for the King Fire, leading the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office to swiftly conclude that arson had been the cause. Within days, witnesses came forward and disclosed that they had encountered Wayne Huntsman, a Pollock Pines resident and former inmate firefighter, near the scene of the fire's origin. Huntsman had told two of them "You better get home. Your house is going to burn down." After being given a ride near the fire, Huntsman had shown another man a 'selfie' video of himself in the forest, surrounded by flames. The man recorded Huntsman's video and submitted the information to authorities.[7]

On September 18, 2014, Wayne Huntsman was arrested on suspicion of intentionally starting the fire.[1][13] He initially pled not guilty to the charges,[14] but in April 2016 pled guilty to arson. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison, the maximum allowable sentence, and ordered to pay $60 million in restitution by an El Dorado County Superior Court judge.[15][16]

Effects

The King Fire injured a total of twelve people.[17] It destroyed 12 residences and 68 other structures.[6]

Closures and evacuations

The King Fire threatened hydroelectric infrastructure and recreation areas throughout the Sierra Nevada west of Tahoe. The U.S. Forest Service closed trails to the Desolation Wilderness from the Eldorado National Forest on September 11.[18] The total number of evacuees reached 2,830.[6]

Environmental impacts

The King Fire produced copious amounts of smoke, pushing parts of Placer, El Dorado, Nevada, and Amador counties into unhealthy-to-hazardous ranges of PM2.5 air pollution. Officials temporarily deployed emergency air-quality sensors throughout the Sierra.[19]

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Rocha, Veronica; Xia, Rosanna (September 18, 2014). "Man arrested on suspicion of arson in out-of-control King fire". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  2. ^ "Giant King fire burns 10 homes, could be whipped up as weather shifts". Los Angeles Times. September 21, 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c "King Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  4. ^ a b Rocha, Veronica; Xia, Rosanna (September 18, 2014). "Massive King fire sets off even louder alarms in California". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 19, 2024. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  5. ^ "King fire burns more than 80,000 acres in Northern California". Los Angeles Times. September 20, 2014. Archived from the original on February 24, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e "King Fire Facts" (PDF). www.fs.usda.gov. Eldorado National Forest. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Wang, Yanan (April 11, 2016). "The telltale selfie that nailed the man responsible for California's epic King fire". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  8. ^ "King Fire in El Dorado County". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  9. ^ Megna, Dan (2015). "1600 Yards to Freedom". Vertical Magazine, Heli-Expo news. p. 46. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  10. ^ a b Berman, Mark (September 19, 2014). "Massive King fire in California continues to grow". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  11. ^ a b "King Fire General Information". Cal Fire. Archived from the original on July 1, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  12. ^ Flores, Adolfo (October 9, 2014). "97,000-acre King fire is fully contained, officials say". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 1, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  13. ^ York, Jessica A. (September 19, 2014). "King Fire arson suspect is former Santa Cruz man". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Retrieved February 17, 2023 – via Mercury News.
  14. ^ "King Fire arson suspect pleads not guilty". Sacramento: KXTV. September 20, 2014. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014.
  15. ^ "Wayne Allen Huntsman Sentenced to 20 Years For Setting King Fire". CBS News Sacramento. April 8, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  16. ^ Vives, Ruben (April 8, 2016). "King fire arsonist who took selfie video pleads guilty". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 1, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  17. ^ "Massive King fire still rages, could be whipped up as weather changes". Los Angeles Times. September 21, 2014. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  18. ^ Weiser, Matt (September 18, 2014). "King Fire affects hydroelectric facilities, recreation areas". The Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on February 21, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  19. ^ Weiser, Matt (September 19, 2014). "Smoke from King fire reaches 'hazardous' levels". The Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on February 21, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
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