Crews continue to battle 25 major wildfires in California with over 17,400 firefighters on the front lines. Yesterday, firefighters down in San Diego County were able to contain the over 17,000 acre Valley Fire, as well as 27 new initial attack wildfires across the State.
Since the beginning of the year, there have been well over 8,000 wildfires that have burned well over 3.6 million acres in California. Since August 15, when California’s fire activity elevated, there have been 26 fatalities and over 6,900 structures destroyed.
Cooler and seasonal temperatures continue throughout the state today. A significant warm up begins Saturday, stretching across the state into the following week, with a chance of record-breaking highs in some areas. Locally gusty winds may also occur, bringing elevated fire danger. A Red Flag Warning has been issued for gusty winds, high heat, and low humidity beginning Saturday through Monday, effecting areas including the East Bay Hills and interior valleys, and North Bay Mountains. A Fire Weather Watch is in effect beginning Saturday morning through Monday over a large portion of Northern California for gusty winds and low humidity, bringing critical fire weather conditions.
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.
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.
**Unified Command Incidents**
North Complex, Plumas County (more info…)
Southwest of Susanville (Plumas National Forest)
*304,492 acres, 78% contained
*15 fatalities
*2,248 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)
*291,426 acres, 36% 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
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.
SQF Complex, Tulare County (more info…)
25 miles north of Kernville (Sequoia National Forest)
*144,777 acres, 36% contained
*Castle and Shotgun Fires merged into this complex
*CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 6 in unified command with USFS Team 2
**Coordinated Command Incidents**
August Complex, Tehama County (more info…)
Elk Creek and Stonyford area (Mendocino National Forest)
*867,335 acres, 40% contained
*South Zone 487,584 acres, 70% contained
*North Zone 275,521 acres, 35% contained
*West Zone 104,230 acres, 50% 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**
Snow Fire, Riverside County (more info…)
Snow Creek Rd, west of Palm Springs
*6,254 acres, 80% contained
*Repopulation has started
El Dorado Fire, San Bernardino County (more info…)
West of Oak Glen (San Bernardino National Forest)
*22,604 acres, 81% contained
*1 fatality
*Evacuations in place
*10 structures destroyed
*California Interagency Incident Management Team 13 in command
Fox Fire, Siskiyou County (more info…)
*2,188 acres, 73% contained
*Evacuations in place
Slater Fire, Siskiyou County (more info…)
5 miles North of Happy Camp (Klamath National Forest)
*153,850 acres, 25% contained
*2 fatalities
*Evacuation orders in place
Devil Fire, Siskiyou County (more info…)
5 miles north of Upper Devil’s Peak (Klamath National Forest)
*8,173 acres, 18% contained
Bobcat Fire, Los Angeles County (more info…)
North of Duarte (Angeles National Forest)
*113,986 acres, 55% containment
*Evacuations in place
*Unified command with the US Forest Service, Los Angeles County Fire Department and Monrovia Fire Department
Dolan Fire, Monterey County (more info…)
Hwy 1, 10 miles south of Big Sur (Los Padres National Forest)
*128,417 acres, 46% contained
*Structures threatened
*California Interagency Incident Command Team 15 assuming command today
Bullfrog Fire, Fresno County (more info…)
SE of Bullfrog Lake (Sierra National Forest)
*1,185 acres, 30% 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…) FINAL
Near Alpine (Cleveland National Forest)
*17,093 acres, 100% contained
Lake Fire, Los Angeles County (more info…)
Southwest of Lake Hughes
Angeles National Forest / Los Angeles County Fire Department
* 31,089 acres, 97% 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)
*108,244 acres, 31% contained
Blue Jay Fire, Mariposa County (more info…)
Yosemite National Park Wilderness
*4,488 acres, 50% contained
Wolf Fire, Tuolumne County (more info…)
Yosemite National Park Wilderness
*1,087 acres, 35% 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)
*26,759 acres, 86% contained
Moraine, Tulare County (more info…)
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Wilderness
*668 acres, 70% contained
Rattlesnake, Tulare County (more info…)
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Wilderness
*4,070 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, #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 #20 LNU Lightning Complex.