2020 Western United States wildfire season

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2020 Western United States wildfire season
GOES17 geocolor Western US 2020-09-09 1100AM.jpg
Satellite image of the smoke from the wildfires burning in California and Oregon on September 9, 2020
Location Western United States
Statistics [1]
Total fires100+[ citation needed ]
Total area10,200,000 acres (4,100,000 ha) [2] [3]
Cost>$19.884 billion (2020 USD) [2] [3]
Date(s)July 24, 2020 (2020-07-24) – December 31, 2020 (2020-12-31)
Buildings destroyed13,887 [3]
Deaths47 direct (32 in California, 11 in Oregon, 1 in Washington, 1 in Arizona, 2 in Colorado) [4] [5] 1,200 to 3,000 indirect (caused by the adverse effects of smoke inhalation) [6]
Non-fatal injuriesUnknown
2020 Western U.S. wildfires
Western fires 2020.jpg
Multiple wildfires burning near the Pacific coast of the U.S. on September 9, 2020
Affected states
Background
Largest wildfire by state
  • Arizona - Bush (193,455 acres)
  • California - August Complex (1,032,648 acres)
  • Colorado - Cameron Peak (208,913 acres)
  • Nevada - Meadow Valley (59,265 acres)
  • New Mexico - Cub (25,950 acres)
  • Oregon - Santiam (402,274 acres)
  • Utah - East Fork (89,765 acres)
  • Washington - Pearl Hill (223,730 acres)

The Western United States experienced a series of major wildfires in 2020. Severe August thunderstorms ignited numerous wildfires across California, Oregon, and Washington, followed in early September by additional ignitions across the West Coast. Fanned by strong, gusty winds and fueled by hot, dry terrains, many of the fires exploded and coalesced into record-breaking megafires, [7] burning more than 10.2 million acres (41,000 square kilometres) of land, [2] [3] mobilizing tens of thousands of firefighters, razing over ten thousand buildings, [3] and killing at least 37 people. [8] [9] The fires caused over $19.884 billion (2020 USD) in damages, [2] [3] including $16.5 billion in property damage and $3.384 billion in fire suppression costs. [2] [3] Climate change and poor forest management practices contributed to the severity of the wildfires. [10]

Contents

Background

Fire, environment, and cultural shift

Fire regimes of United States vegetation Wildland Fire in Ecosystems 15-1-2.png
Fire regimes of United States vegetation

Save for areas along the Pacific coast and mountain ridgetops, North America tends to be wetter in the east and drier in the west. This creates ideal conditions in the West for lightning sparked and wind driven storms to spread large-scale, seasonal wildfires. [11] [12] Human societies practicing cultural burns developed in these conditions. Various Indigenous controlled fire practices, [12] as well as their adoption by settlers, were curtailed and outlawed during the European colonization of the Americas, culminating with the modern fire suppression era, signified by the Weeks Act of 1911, which formalized paradigmatic changes in ecosystem priorities and management. [11] [ better source needed ] [13] Land was protected from fire, and vegetation accumulated near settlements, increasing the risk of explosive, smoky conflagrations.

Many indigenous tribes, including the Karuk, have passed down cultural memories of adaptations to fire-prone ecosystems, including cultural burning. In the last few decades, these have been acknowledged by the United States Forest Service, NOAA, [14] and other agencies in American colonial nations. [13] [15]

While lightning sparked ignitions are typical of fire-prone ecosystems, higher human population and increased development in the wildland–urban interface has increased accidental and intentional sparking of destructive fires. [16]

Record hemispheric heat

The Northern Hemisphere January–August land and ocean surface temperature tied with 2016 as the warmest such period since global records began in 1880. The Southern Hemisphere had its third-warmest such period (tied with 2017) on record, behind 2016 and 2019. [17]

— United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, September 14, 2020
Year-to-date (through September 8, 2020) animation of extent and intensity of drought in the United States maintained by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln United States Map of Year-to-Date through 8 September 2020 U.S. Drought Monitor Animation.gif
Year-to-date (through September 8, 2020) animation of extent and intensity of drought in the United States maintained by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Record dry weather struck the Western United States in late 2019, extending all the way through the winter of 2020. The lack of precipitation prompted concerns from state governments and the press. [19] 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 wildfire. [20] Oregon officially declared the start of their wildfire season that same month. [20] [21] Despite light rain in late March and April, severe drought conditions persisted, and were predicted to last late into the year, due to a delayed wet season. [22] After fires began in Washington in April, several more fires occurred throughout the West Coast, prompting burn ban restrictions in Washington and Oregon, come July. [23]

Year-to-date wildfire figures

National Interagency Fire Center Geographic Area Coordination Centers 2020 sep 15 USA National Predictive Services Group National GACC Website Committee GACC Map national.gif
National Interagency Fire Center Geographic Area Coordination Centers

United States agencies stationed at the National Interagency Fire Center in Idaho maintain a "National Large Incident Year-to-Date Report" on wildfires, delineating 10 sub-national areas, aggregating the regional and national totals of burn size, fire suppression cost, and razed structure count, among other data. As of October 21, "Coordination Centers" of each geography report the following: [3]

Note: Check primary sources for up-to-date statistics. This data is not final and may contain duplicate reports until the data is finalized around January 2021.

Coordination CenterAcresHectaresSuppression CostsStructures Destroyed
Alaska Interagency171,045.769,219.7$14,837,241.008
Northwest Area1,930,877.2781,398.3$414,535,531.134,472
Northern California Area4,058,314.21,642,341.5$1,388,359,480.149,747
Southern California Area1,318,498.5533,577.4$921,427,069.001,857
Northern Rockies368,164.6148,990.9$75,698,682.00222
Great Basin926,042.5374,756.1$251,845,657.39275
Southwest Area1,047,410.6423,872.0$204,076,181.9664
Rocky Mountain Area1,011,332.6409,271.8$343,972,034.341,140
Eastern Area14,989.86,066.2$631,398.5824
Southern Area2,892,799.11,170,674.3$15,526,190.92324
Totals [lower-alpha 1] 13,739,474.85,560,168.2$3,630,909,466.4618,133
  1. ↑ Year-to-date totals as of December 30, 2020

Timeline of events

Initial ignitions and weather conditions

The CZU Lightning Complex fires were sparked by lightning in mid-August CZU lightning complex fire on Butano Ridge.jpg
The CZU Lightning Complex fires were sparked by lightning in mid-August

April saw the beginning of wildfires in the west coast, as Washington experienced two fires: the Stanwood Bryant Fire in Snohomish County (70 acres (28 ha)) and the Porter Creek Fire in Whatcom County (80 acres (32 ha)). [25] The Oregon Department of Forestry declared fire season beginning July 5, 2020, signaling the end of unregulated debris burning outdoors, a major cause of wildfires. [26]

Between July 16 and 30, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and many county governments – including Mason, Thurston, King, Pierce and Whatcom Counties – issued fire safety burn bans due to elevated risk of uncontrolled fires. [27] In late July, a brush fire in Chelan County, the Colockum Fire, burned at least 3,337 acres (1,350 ha) and caused homes to be evacuated. [28] A fire on the Colville Reservation near Nespelem called the Greenhouse Fire burned at least 5,146 acres (2,083 ha) and caused the evacuation of the Colville Tribal Corrections Facility and other structures. [29] [30]

Between August 14 and 16, Northern California was subjected to record-breaking warm temperatures, [31] due to anomalously strong high pressure over the region. Early on August 15, the National Weather Service for San Francisco issued a Fire Weather Watch [32] highlighting the risk of wildfire starts due to the combination of lightning risk due to moist, unstable air aloft, dry fuels, and hot temperatures near the surface. Later that day, the Fire Weather Watch was upgraded to a Red Flag Warning, [33] noting the risk of abundant lightning already apparent as the storms moved toward the region from the south.

In mid-August, the remnants of Tropical Storm Fausto interacted with the jet stream, resulting in a large plume of moisture moving northward towards the West Coast of the U.S., triggering a massive siege of lightning storms in Northern California, and setting the conditions for wildfires elsewhere. [34] Due to abnormal wind patterns, this plume streamed from up to 1,000 miles (1,609 km) off the coast of the Baja Peninsula into Northern California. This moisture then interacted with a high-pressure ridge situated over Nevada that was bringing a long-track heat wave to much of California and the West. [35] These colliding weather systems then created excessive atmospheric instability that generated massive thunderstorms throughout much of Northern and Central California. Multiple places also experienced Midwest-style convective “heat bursts”–in which rapid collapse of thunderstorm updrafts caused air parcels aloft to plunge to the surface and warm to extreme levels, with one location near Travis Air Force Base going from around 80 to 100 °F (27 to 38 °C) in nearly 1–2 hours. [36] Additionally, much of these storms were only accompanied with dry lightning and produced little to no rain, making conditions very favorable for wildfires to spark and spread rapidly. [37]

As a result of the fires, on August 19, Governors Kate Brown and Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency for Oregon and Washington respectively. [38] [39]

Growth of fires

Six of the twenty largest wildfires in California history were part of the 2020 wildfire season. Five of the new wildfires ranking in the top 10 were all a part of the August 2020 lightning fires. Cal Fire largest wildfires 2020.jpg
Six of the twenty largest wildfires in California history were part of the 2020 wildfire season. Five of the new wildfires ranking in the top 10 were all a part of the August 2020 lightning fires.

By August 20, the Palmer Fire near Oroville, Washington – which started August 18 – had reached 13,000 acres (5,300 ha) and forced evacuation of up to 85 homes. [40] [41] The largest of the fires in the Olympics reached 2.4 acres (0.97 ha) by August 20. [42]

View of the Bobcat Fire from a kitchen window in Monrovia, California Bobcat Fire, Los Angeles, San Gabriel Mountains.jpg
View of the Bobcat Fire from a kitchen window in Monrovia, California

The Evans Canyon Fire, a few miles north of Naches, began around August 31 and expanded to tens of thousands of acres, shut down Washington State Route 821 in the Yakima River Canyon, burned several homes and caused hundreds of families to evacuate, and caused unhealthy air quality in Yakima County. [43] By September 6, it had burned almost 76,000 acres (31,000 ha). [44]

The August 2020 lightning fires include three of the largest wildfires in the recorded history of California: the SCU Lightning Complex, the August Complex, and the LNU Lightning Complex. On September 10, 2020, the August Complex became the single-largest wildfire in the recorded history of California, reaching a total area burned of 471,185 acres (1,907 km2). Then, on September 11, it merged with the Elkhorn Fire, another massive wildfire of 255,039 acres (1,032 km2), turning the August Complex into a monster wildfire of 746,607 acres (3,021 km2). [45]

In early September 2020, a combination of a record-breaking heat wave, and Diablo and Santa Ana winds sparked more fires and explosively grew active fires, with the August Complex surpassing the 2018 Mendocino Complex to become California's largest recorded wildfire. [45] The North Complex increased in size as the winds fanned it westward, threatening the city of Oroville, and triggering mass evacuations. [46] During the first week in September, the 2020 fire season set a new California record for the most area burned in a year at 2,000,000 acres (810,000 ha). [47] As of September 13, 3,200,000 acres (1,300,000 ha) had burned in the state. [48] On September 5, heat from the Creek Fire generated a large pyrocumulonimbus cloud, described as one of the largest seen in the United States. [49]

Carbon monoxide hotspots show locations of the wildfires Carbon monoxide from west coast fires ESA22215863.jpeg
Carbon monoxide hotspots show locations of the wildfires

On September 7, a "historic fire event" with high winds resulted in 80 fires and nearly 300,000 acres (120,000 ha) burned in a day. Malden, in the Palouse Country of Eastern Washington, was mostly destroyed by one of the fires. [50] By the evening of September 8, the Cold Springs Canyon and adjacent Pearl Hill Fires had burned over 337,000 acres (136,000 ha) and neither was more than 10% contained. [51] Smoke blanketed the Seattle area on September 8 and caused unhealthy air conditions throughout the Puget Sound region, and affected Southwest British Columbia. [52] [53]

On September 8, 2020, in Salem, Oregon, dark red skies as a result of smoke were visible beginning in the late morning. On September 9, 2020, San Francisco and Eureka, California were similarly affected, with dark orange skies reported.

The cities of Phoenix and Talent in Oregon were substantially destroyed by the Almeda Drive Fire. State-wide, at least 23 people have been killed. [54] [55] On September 11, authorities said they were preparing for a mass fatality incident. [56] As of September 11, 600 homes and 100 commercial buildings have been destroyed by the Almeda Drive Fire. [57] Officials stated that the Almeda Drive Fire was human-caused. [57] On September 11, a man was arrested for arson, for allegedly starting a fire that destroyed multiple homes in Phoenix and merged with the Almeda Drive Fire. [58] A separate criminal investigation into the origin point of the Almeda Drive Fire in Ashland is ongoing. [58]

Around September 11–12, wildfires were starting to encroach upon the Clackamas County suburbs of Portland, Oregon, especially the fast-moving Riverside Fire which had already jumped the nearby community of Estacada, but shifting wind directions kept the fire away from the main Portland area. [59]

Through much of September, at least 8 large wildfires, each of 100,000 acres (400 km2) or more, were burning in Washington and Oregon, with 3 in Washington and 5 in Oregon. This was unprecedented for those two states, which combined only saw a total of 26 large fires from 1997 to 2019. [60] On September 22, 10 large fires, each of at least 100,000 acres, were burning across California, including 5 of the 10 largest wildfires in the state's history. [61]

Evacuations

The Government of California's video about COVID-19 protocols in place at wildfire evacuation centers

The first evacuations began on September 4, when almost 200 people were airlifted out of the Sierra National Forest due to the rapidly exploding Creek Fire. Then on September 9, most of the southern area of the city of Medford, Oregon was forced to evacuate and almost all of the 80,000 residents living in the city were told to be ready if necessary [62] because of the uncontained Almeda Drive Fire, which was fast encroaching on their city. [63] [64] As of September 11, about 40,000 people in Oregon had been instructed to evacuate, and 500,000, accounting for about 10% of the state's population, had received instructions to prepare for evacuation, being under a Level 1, 2, or 3 fire evacuation alert. [65] [66]

List of wildfires

The following is a list of fires that burned more than 1,000 acres (405 ha) or produced significant structural damage or casualties.

NameCountyAcresStart dateContainment dateNotesRef
Interstate 5 Kings County, California 2,060May 3May 7 [67]
PCMS Complex Las Animas County, Colorado 2,175May 16May 21Unknown Cause [68]
Cherry Canyon Las Animas County, Colorado 11,818May 20May 27Lightning-Caused [69]
Range San Luis Obispo County, California 5,000May 27May 28 [70]
Tabby Canyon Tooele County, Utah 13,378May 30June 2Caused by exploding target. Merged with North Stansbury Fire on June 1 at 6,848.8 acres. [71]
Scorpion Santa Barbara County, California 1,395May 31June 1 [72]
Bighorn Pima County, Arizona 119,987June 5July 23Burned on the Santa Catalina Mountains [73]
Quail Solano County, California 1,837June 6June 103 structures destroyed [74] [75]
Farm Camp San Miguel County, New Mexico 22,872June 6June 14Lightning-Caused [76]
Tadpole Grant County, New Mexico 11,159June 6July 17Lightning-Caused [77]
Wood San Diego County, California 11,000June 8June 12Burned on Camp Pendleton [78]
India San Diego County, California 1,100June 8June 14Burned on Camp Pendleton [79]
Mangum Coconino County, Arizona 71,450June 8July 7Burned in the Kaibab National Forest [80]
Soda San Luis Obispo County, California 1,672June 10June 112 structures destroyed [81] [82]
Grant Sacramento County, California 5,042June 12June 171 structure damaged [83]
Bush Gila County, Maricopa County, Arizona 193,455June 13July 6Human-Caused [84]
East Canyon La Plata County, Montezuma County, Colorado 2,905June 14June 27Lightning-Caused [85]
Vics Peak Socorro County, New Mexico 14,624June 15August 4Lightning-Caused;burned in the Apache Kid Wilderness [86]
Walker Calaveras County, California 1,455June 16June 202 structures destroyed [87]
Grade Tulare County, California 1,050June 22June 26 [88]
Brown White Pine County, Nevada 8,268June 24June 30The cause of the wildfire is still under investigation [89]
Poeville Washoe County, Nevada 2,975June 26July 6Led to evacuation of portions of the City of Reno [90]
Wood Springs 2 Apache County, Arizona 12,861June 27July 11Lightning-Caused; 7 structures destroyed on the Navajo Nation [91]
Canal Millard County, Juab County, Utah 78,065June 27July 13Lightning-Caused; destroyed 34 structures; 100% contained on June 27 but escaped containment due to strong winds [92]
Pass Merced County, California 2,192June 28June 30 [93]
Bena Kern County, California 2,900July 1July 3 [94]
Polles Gila County, Arizona 628July 3July 23Lightning-Caused; a helicopter supporting firefighting efforts crashed on July 7, taking the life of pilot Bryan Boatman.The incident is under investigation. [95] [96]
Crews Santa Clara County, California 5,513July 5July 131 structure destroyed; 1 damaged; 1 injury. Resulted in evacuations of rural Gilroy. [97]
Soledad Los Angeles County, California 1,525July 5July 151 injury [98]
Numbers Douglas County, Nevada 18,380July 6July 1440 buildings destroyed [99]
Mineral Fresno County, California 29,667July 13July 267 structures destroyed [100] [101]
Coyote San Benito County, California 1,508July 15July 18 [102]
Hog Lassen County, California 9,564July 18August 82 structures destroyed [103]
Gold Lassen County, California 22,634July 20August 813 structures destroyed; 5 structures damaged; 2 firefighters injured in burnover [104]
July Complex 2020 Modoc County, Siskiyou County, California 83,261July 22August 71 structure destroyed; 3 outbuildings destroyed [105]
Blue Jay Mariposa County, Tuolumne County, California 6,922July 24November 19Lightning-sparked [106]
Red Salmon Complex Humboldt County, Siskiyou County, Trinity County, California 144,698July 26November 23Originally started as both the Red and Salmon fire (both started by lightning strikes), but have since merged into one fire [107] [108]
Chikamin Chelan County, Washington 1,685July 31September 24 [109]
Apple Riverside County, California 33,424July 31November 16, 20204 structures destroyed; 8 outbuildings destroyed; 4 injuries [110]
Pond San Luis Obispo County, California 1,962August 1August 81 structure destroyed; 1 damaged; 13 outbuildings destroyed [111] [112]
North Lassen County, California 6,882August 2August 106,882 acres in total, of which approximately 4,105 acres burned in Washoe County, Nevada [113]
Stagecoach Kern County, California 7,760August 3August 1623 structures destroyed; 4 damaged; 25 outbuildings destroyed; 2 damaged; [114] 1 firefighter fatality [115] [116]
Neals Hill Harney County, Oregon 3,391August 5August 20Caused by lightning [117] [118]
Bumble Bee Yavapai County, Arizona 2,993August 7August 12Human-Caused [119]
Wolf Mariposa County, Tuolumne County, California 2,057August 11November 19Lightning-sparked [120]
Lake Los Angeles County, California 31,089August 12October 5Lightning-sparked, 33 structures destroyed; 6 damaged; 21 outbuildings destroyed; 2 injuries [121] [122]
Ranch 2 Los Angeles County, California 4,237August 13October 5Lightning-sparked [123]
Hills Fresno County, California 2,121August 15August 24Lightning-sparked; 1 fatality [124]
Loyalton Lassen County, Plumas County, Sierra County, California 47,029August 15September 14Lightning-sparked, Caused National Weather Service to issue first ever Fire Tornado Warning; 5 homes, 6 outbuildings destroyed [125] [126]
Beach Mono County, California 3,780August 16August 28Lightning-sparked [127]
Frog Crook County, Oregon 4,020August 16September 1Caused by lightning [128]
Green Ridge Deschutes County, Oregon 4,338August 16September 1Caused by lightning [129]
River Monterey County, California 48,088August 16September 4Lightning-sparked; 30 structures destroyed; 13 structures damaged; 4 injuries [130]
Dome San Bernardino County, California 43,273August 16September 14Lightning-sparked, Burned in the Mojave National Preserve [131]
Indian Creek Malheur County, Oregon 48,128August 16September 16Caused by lightning [132]
CZU Lightning Complex San Mateo County, Santa Cruz County, California 86,509August 16September 22Several lightning-sparked fires burning close together across San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties; 1,490 structures destroyed; 140 structures damaged; 1 injury; 1 fatality. [133]
SCU Lightning Complex Santa Clara County, Alameda County, Contra Costa County, San Joaquin County, Merced County, Stanislaus County, California 396,624August 16October 1Deer 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. [134]
Beachie Creek Linn County, Oregon 193,573August 16October 28. Merged with the Lionshead Fire and became the Santiam Fire on September 8. [135]
August Complex Glenn County, Mendocino County, Lake County, Tehama County, Trinity County, California 1,032,648August 16November 12Lightning strikes started 37 fires, several of which grew to large sizes, especially the Doe Fire; 935 structures destroyed; 2 firefighter injuries; 1 firefighter fatality. It became the largest fire complex in California history and combined with the Elkhorn Fire on September 10. [136] [137]
Lionshead Jefferson County, Oregon 204,469August 16December 10. Merged into the Beachie Creek Fire and became the Santiam Fire on September 8. [138]
Rattlesnake Tulare County, California 8,419August 16December 18Lightning sparked a slow-growing fire in inaccessible terrain. [139]
Downey Creek Douglas County, Oregon 2,570August 16December 31 [140]
Jones Nevada County, California 705August 17August 28Lightning sparked, 21 structures destroyed, 3 structures damaged, 7 injuries [141]
Holser Ventura County, California 3,000August 17September 6 [142]
Sheep Plumas County, Lassen County, California 29,570August 17September 9Lightning-sparked, 26 structures destroyed, 1 injury [143] [144]
LNU Lightning Complex Colusa County, Lake County, Napa County, Sonoma County, Solano County, Yolo County, California 363,220August 17October 2Multi-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; 5 fatalities. It is the fourth-largest fire complex in California history. [145]
Butte/Tehama/Glenn Lightning Complex (Butte Zone) Butte County, California 19,609August 17October 17Lightning sparked 34 fires throughout Butte County; 14 structures destroyed; 1 structure damaged; 1 injury [146]
White River Wasco County, Oregon 17,383August 17October 20 [147]
North Complex Plumas County, Butte County, Yuba County, California 318,935August 17December 4Lightning strikes, includes the Claremont Fire and the Bear Fire; 2,357 structures destroyed, 114 structures damaged; 15 fatalities; 2 injuries; It is the sixth-largest fire complex in California history. [148] [149]
Salt Calaveras County, California 1,789August 18August 24Lightning-sparked [150]
Carmel Monterey County, California 6,905August 18September 4Lightning-sparked, 73 structures destroyed; 7 structures damaged [151]
W-5 Cold Springs Lassen County, Modoc County, California 84,817August 18September 14Lightning-sparked. Fire spread eastward into Washoe County, Nevada. [152]
Palmer Okanogan County, Washington 17,988August 18December 1 [153]
Laurel Wheeler County, Oregon 1,257August 19September 14 [154]
Woodward Marin County, California 4,929August 18October 1Lightning-sparked [155]
Dolan Monterey County, California 124,924August 18December 31Cause not officially determined; however, a suspect was charged with arson in connection to the fire [156] [157]
SQF Complex Tulare County, California 174,178August 19January 5Lightning-sparked, contains the Castle Fire and the Shotgun Fire [158]
Moc Tuolumne County, California 2,857August 20August 30Lightning-sparked [159]
East Fork Duchesne County, Utah 89,765August 21November 5Lightning-Caused; destroyed 11 structures and merged with the Phinney Lake fire at 10,040 acres [160]
Moraine Tulare County, California 1,316August 21December 18Lightning-sparked [161]
Slink Mono County, California 26,759August 29November 8Lightning-sparked [162]
Evans Canyon Kittitas County, Washington 75,817August 31October 31 [163]
Creek Fresno County, Madera County, California 379,895September 4December 24853 structures destroyed, 64 structures damaged; 29 injuries; 1 fatality [164] [165] [166]
Valley San Diego County, California 16,390September 5September 2451 structures destroyed, 11 structures damaged, 2 injuries [167]
El Dorado Riverside County, San Bernardino County, California 22,744September 5November 18Sparked by a pyrotechnic device at a gender reveal party. 20 structures destroyed, 4 structures damaged; 13 injuries, 1 fatality [168] [169]
Cold Springs Okanogan County, Washington 189,923September 6September 301 fatality [170] [171]
Bobcat Los Angeles County, California 115,796September 6October 19Unknown cause, 170 structures destroyed, 47 structures damaged; 6 Injuries [172]
Oak Mendocino County, California 1,100September 7September 14Unknown cause, 25 structures destroyed, 20 structures damaged [173]
P-515 Jefferson County, Oregon 4,609September 7December 10. Merged into the Lionshead Fire on September 8. [174]
Slater/Devil Siskiyou County, Del Norte County, California, Josephine County, Oregon 157,229September 7November 162 fatalities, 1 structure destroyed [175] [176]
Two Four Two Klamath County, Oregon 14,473September 7October 31 [177]
Brattain Lake County, Oregon 50,951September 7October 31 [178]
Holiday Farm Lane County, Oregon 173,393September 7October 311 fatality [179]
Echo Mountain Complex Lincoln County, Oregon 2,552September 7October 27293 structures destroyed, 22 structures damaged [180]
Babb-Maiden/Manning Spokane County, Washington 18,254September 7December 15 [181]
Whitney Lincoln County, Washington 127,430September 7December 18 [182]
Inchelium Complex Ferry County, Washington 19,399September 7September 28 [183]
Pearl Hill Douglas County, Washington 223,730September 7December 15Started when the Cold Springs fire jumped the Columbia River, then spread quickly due to strong winds and low relative humidity. Destroyed 25 residences and 35 other structures. [184] [185]
Apple Acres Chelan County, Washington 5,500September 7December 15 [186]
Fork El Dorado County, California 1,673September 8November 9 [187]
South Obenchain Jackson County, Oregon 32,671September 8October 31 [188]
Riverside Clackamas County, Oregon 138,054September 8December 3 [189]
Santiam Clackamas County, Jefferson County, Linn County, Marion County, Wasco County, Oregon 402,592September 8December 10Includes the Lionshead, Beachie Creek, and P-515 Fires, which merged. 1568+ structures destroyed, 5 deaths [190] [174] [191]
Big Hollow Skamania County, Washington 24,995September 8December 1 [192]
Almeda Drive Jackson County, Oregon 3,200September 8September 15 [193] 2457+ structures destroyed, 3 fatalities [194] [195] [57] [58]
Chehalem Mountain- Bald Peak Washington County, Oregon 2,000September 8September 14 [196] [197] [198] [199] [200]
Thielsen Douglas County, Oregon 9,975September 9November 16 [201]
Willow Yuba County, California 1,311September 9September 1441 structures destroyed; 10 structures damaged [202]
Archie Creek Douglas County, Oregon 131,542September 9November 16 [203]
Bullfrog Fresno County, California 1,185September 9November 9 [204]
Fox Trinity County, California 2,188September 14November 1 [205]
Snow Riverside County, California 6,254September 17November 18 [206]
Glass Napa County, California Sonoma County, California 67,484September 28October 211,555 structures destroyed, 282 structures damaged [207]
Zogg Shasta County, California 56,338September 28October 13204 structures destroyed, 27 structures damaged; 1 injury, 4 fatalities [208]
Range Utah County, Utah 3,496October 17November 11Human-Caused (Cause: Police Target Shooting) [209]
Silverado Orange County, California 12,466October 26November 75 structures destroyed, 9 structures damaged; 2 injuries [210]
Blue Ridge Orange County, California 13,694October 26November 71 structure destroyed, 10 structures damaged [211]
Laura 2 Orange County, California 2,800November 17November 2440 structures destroyed [212]
Mountain View Mono County, California 20,385November 17November 2790 structures destroyed, 8 damaged; 1 fatality [213] [214]
Airport Riverside County, California 1,087December 1December 12 [215]
Bond Orange County, California 6,686December 2December 10Started by a house fire; 31 structures destroyed; 21 structures damaged; 2 firefighter injuries [216] [217] [218] [219] [220]
Sanderson Riverside County, California 1,933December 13December 14 [221]
Creek 5 San Diego County, California 4,276December 23December 31Unknown cause; over 7,000 people evacuated from housing areas on Camp Pendleton [222] [223]

Causes

Fire policy

Prior to development, California fires regularly burned significantly more acreage than in recent history. Wildfires have been aggressively suppressed in the last century, 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 forest in California in order to reduce fire risk. [224] [225] [226] Controlled burning is hampered by wildfire litigation models that present wildfires in court cases as the result of careless ignition events while discounting underlying forest conditions. [227] [228] A 2020 ProPublica investigation blamed the culture of Cal Fire, greed on the part of fire suppression contractors, and risk aversion on the part of the U.S. Forest Service from preventing appropriate controlled burns from taking place. [229]

Climate change

Secretary of California's Natural Resources Agency Wade Crowfoot urges President Trump to not ignore the science on climate change to which Trump responds "I don't think science knows, actually" [230] [231] and "It'll start getting cooler. You just watch." [232]

Climate change has led to increased heat waves and the risk of drought in California, creating the conditions for more frequent and severe wildfires. [233] [234] It has been observed that since the early 1970s, warm‐season days in California warmed by ca. 1.4 °C. This significantly increases the atmospheric vapor pressure deficit, the difference between the actual and a maximum moisture content for a certain temperature. Trends simulated by climate models are consistent with human-induced trends. Summer forest‐fire area reacts to the vapor pressure deficit exponentially, i.e., warming has grown increasingly impactful. [234]

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." [235] 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." [236] Susan Clark, director of the Sustainability Initiative at the University at Buffalo, states, "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." [236]

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. [237] [238] 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. [239] Arson has also been suspected as the cause of the Ranch 2 Fire in Los Angeles County.[ citation needed ]

Obstacles to fire control

Rumors about political extremist involvement

In Oregon, rumors spread that Antifa activists allegedly involved in arson and rioting accompanying the nearby George Floyd protests in Portland, Oregon, were deliberately setting fires and were preparing to loot property that was being evacuated. Some residents refused to evacuate based on the rumors. Authorities urged residents to ignore the rumors and follow evacuation orders, noting that firefighters' lives could be endangered rescuing those who remained. [240] QAnon followers participated in spreading the rumors, with one claim that six antifa activists had been arrested for setting fires specifically amplified by "Q", the anonymous person or people behind QAnon. [241] [242]

False rumors also circulated that members of far-right groups such as the Proud Boys had started some of the fires. However, authorities labelled the claims as false, saying that people needed to question claims they found on social media. [243]

There have been a number of arrests for arson surrounding the wildfires, but there is no indication that the incidents were connected to a mass arson campaign, according to multiple law enforcement officers. [244] [245] [246] For example, a man allegedly set fires in Glide, Oregon, after a Douglas Forest Protection Association member refused to give him a ride to town. [246]

COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic brought new challenges for firefighters fighting wildfires due to measures intended to reduce the transmission of the disease. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL Fire) implemented new protocols such as wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing while resting, and reducing the number of occupants in the pickup trucks used to transport firefighters. [247]

California relies heavily on inmate firefighters, with incarcerated people making up nearly a quarter of CAL FIRE's total workforce in 2018–2019. [248] Coronavirus measures within the prison system, such as early release and quarantine policies, have reduced the number of inmate firefighters available, necessitating the hiring of additional seasonal firefighters. [249]

Impacts

Fire

In Oregon, wildfires throughout the whole year, with most occurring in September, charred a record of 1,000,000 acres (4,000 km2), destroying a total of 4,800 structures, including 1,145 homes, and killing 9 people. The towns of Phoenix and Talent were mostly destroyed in the Almeda fire on September 8. [250] In Washington, 2020 wildfires burned 800,000 acres (3,200 km2), with 418 structures, including 195 homes, burned. In California, about 3,300,000 acres (13,000 km2) burned from wildfires in 2020, the highest burned acreage ever recorded in a fire season. About 2,100,000 acres (8,500 km2) burned in the August lighting wildfires and 1,000,000 acres (4,000 km2) more in September. [251] 4,200 structures were destroyed the whole year in California, and 25 people were killed. [252]

Smoke and air pollution

The fires resulted in worsened air pollution across much of the western U.S. and Canada, from Los Angeles to British Columbia. Alaska Airlines suspended its flights from Portland, Oregon, and Spokane, Washington, due to poor air quality. [253] Some cities in Oregon recorded air quality readings of over 500 on the AQI scale, while readings of over 200 were recorded in major cities. [254] Smoke from the fires were carried to the East Coast and Europe, causing yellowed skies but having little impact on air quality. [255]

The heavy smoke had resulted in several smoke-related incidents. In California, for example, a San Francisco resident was hiking through Yosemite National Park on September 5 when suddenly the sky turned a dark, ugly color and the temperature dropped greatly, reminiscent of a thunderstorm. Ash and smoke started falling, and this erratic weather was caused by the nearby Creek Fire. [256] In another incident, on September 14, an Oakland A's player was at a game at the Seattle Mariners' stadium, when suddenly in the middle of the game he started gasping for air. [257]

It is estimated that as many as 1,200 to 3,000 indirect deaths have been caused by the adverse effects of smoke inhalation. [6]

Red skies appeared over many cities over the West Coast, including on Orange Skies Day, due to smoke from the wildfires blocking lighter colors, created from light infraction. [258] Due to the complex oxidative chemistry occurring during the transport of wildfire smoke in the atmosphere, [259] the toxicity of emissions was suggested to increase over time. [260] [261]

Ecological effects

The unique sagebrush scrub habitat of the Columbia Basin in Washington was heavily affected by the fires, devastating populations of the endemic Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit and endangered, isolated populations of greater sage-grouse and Columbian sharp-tailed grouse. About half of the pygmy rabbit population and over 30-70% of the grouse population may have been lost to the fires, reversing decades of conservation work. Aside from climate change, the spread of the fires may have been assisted by the intrusion of invasive cheatgrass into the habitats. Fires in old-growth forests of Oregon may negatively affect the populations of the endangered northern spotted owl and pine marten, and the resulting ash from the fires may be washed into streams and threaten endangered salmon. [262] [263] Climate change also reduces the likelihood of forests re-establishing themselves after a fire. [264]

The Cassia Crossbill may lose half its population due to the pending consequences of the wildfires, one of which engulfed a large portion of the South Hills, one of the only two strongholds for the bird. [265]

See also

Other wildfires

General

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Colorado wildfires</span>

In the summer of 2013, there were several major wildfires in Colorado in the United States. During June and July, record high temperatures and dry conditions fueled the fires all across the state. By July 24, 570 structures had been destroyed and 2 people died. Below is a list of the major fires of the year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Oregon wildfires</span>

The 2017 Oregon wildfires were a series of wildfires that burned over the course of 2017.

The Uno Peak Fire was a wildfire on the slopes of Lake Chelan, approximately 15 miles from Manson, Washington in the United States. The human caused fire was started on August 30, 2017. The fire burned a total of 8,726 acres (35 km2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soap Lake Fire</span>

The Soap Lake Fire was a wildfire four miles north of Soap Lake in Grant County, Washington in the United States. The fire started on June 11, 2018. It burned a total of 2,063 acres (8 km2). The fire was contained on June 14. The fire threatened numerous homes and outbuildings and an estimated 50 residents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mendocino Complex Fire</span> 2018 wildfire in California

The Mendocino Complex Fire was a large complex of wildfires that burned in northern California for more than three months in 2018. It consisted of two wildfires, the River Fire and Ranch Fire, which burned in Mendocino, Lake, Colusa, and Glenn Counties in the U.S. State of California, with the Ranch Fire being California's single-largest recorded wildfire at the time until the Dixie Fire in 2021. The Ranch Fire burned eight miles northeast of Ukiah, and the River Fire burned six miles north of Hopland, to the south of the larger Ranch Fire. First reported on July 27, 2018, both fires burned a combined total of 459,123 acres (1,858 km2), before they were collectively 100% contained on September 18, though hotspots persisted until the complex was fully brought under control on January 4, 2019. The Ranch Fire alone burned 410,203 acres (1,660 km2), making it the largest wildfire in modern California history at the time until the August Complex fire that occurred in 2020. The Ranch Fire also surpassed the size of the 315,577-acre Rush Fire, which burned across California and Nevada, as well as the Santiago Canyon Fire of 1889, which was previously believed to have been California's all-time largest wildfire. It also included the Redwood Valley Fire that claimed 8 lives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delta Fire</span> Wildfire occurred in California

The Delta Fire was a 2018 wildfire that burned near Lakehead, California, in the Shasta National Forest. The fire burned 63,311 acres (256 km2) and destroyed 20 structures, before it was 100% contained on October 7, 2018. The fire burned into the western flank of the nearby Hirz Fire on September 10, and also burned only a couple of miles away from the enormous Carr Fire, the seventh-most destructive fire in Californian history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 California wildfires</span> An overview of major wildfires in California during the year 2019

The 2019 California wildfire season was a series of wildfires that burned across the U.S. state of California as part of the 2019 wildfire season. By the end of the year, according to Cal Fire and the US Forest Service, 7,860 fires were recorded, totaling an estimated of 259,823 acres of burned land. These fires caused 22 injuries, 3 fatalities, and damaged or destroyed 732 structures. The 2019 California fire season was less active than that of the two previous years, which set records for acreage, destructiveness, and deaths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 California wildfires</span> An overview of major wildfires in California during the year 2020

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 had burned 4,397,809 acres (1,779,730 ha), 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, though roughly equivalent to the pre-1800 levels which averaged around 4.4 million acres yearly and up to 12 million in peak years. 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 and cost over $12.079 billion in damages, including over $10 billion in property damage and $2.079 billion in fire suppression costs. The intensity of the fire season has been attributed to a combination of more than a century of poor forest management and higher temperatures resulting from climate change.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Utah wildfires</span> Wildfire season

The 2020 Utah wildfire season was a series of prominent wildfires throughout the state of Utah, lasting from June 1 through October 30, as defined by state law. Part of the 2020 Western United States wildfire season, Utah saw record-breaking numbers of human-caused fires. The largest fire of the season, the East Fork Fire, burned an area of 89,568 acres. In total, the suppression costs for the fires amounted to at least $103 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple Fire</span> 2020 wildfire in Riverside, California

The Apple Fire was a wildfire that burned during the 2020 California wildfire season in Cherry Valley south of Oak Glen and north of Beaumont and Banning in Riverside County, California in the United States. The fire ignited on Friday, July 31, 2020 as three separate smaller blazes within the rural canyons along Oak Glen Road before merging and rapidly expanded to 1,900 acres (769 ha) and destroyed at least one home and two outbuildings in the Cherry Valley area. It now covers at least 33,424 acres (13,526 ha) and created "a plume of smoke so massive that it generated its own winds." The fire was sparked by a diesel-burning vehicle that emitted burning carbon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Oregon wildfires</span> Wildfire season

The 2020 Oregon wildfire season was one of the most destructive on record in the state of Oregon. The season is a part of the 2020 Western United States wildfire season. The fires killed at least 11 people, burned more than 1,000,000 acres (400,000 ha) of land, and destroyed thousands of homes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loyalton Fire</span> 2020 wildfire in California and Nevada

The 2020 Loyalton Fire was a large wildfire in Lassen, Plumas and Sierra counties in California and Washoe County in Nevada. After it was ignited by lightning on August 14, 2020, the fire burned 47,029 acres (19,032 ha) in the Tahoe National Forest and the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest before it was fully contained on August 26. The Loyalton Fire was notable for generating three fire tornadoes on August 15, necessitating first-of-their-kind warnings by the National Weather Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">August 2020 California lightning wildfires</span> An overview of major wildfires in California during August in the year 2020.

The August 2020 California lightning wildfires were a series of 650 wildfires that ignited across Northern California in mid-August 2020, due to a siege of dry lightning from rare, massive summer thunderstorms, which were caused by an unusual combination of very hot, dry air at the surface, dry fuels, and advection of moisture from the remains of Tropical Storm Fausto northward into the Bay Area. These fires burned between 1,500,000 acres (6,100 km2) to 2,100,000 acres (8,500 km2) within a 2–3 week period. The August 2020 lightning fires included three enormous wildfires: the SCU Lightning Complex, the August Complex, and the LNU Lightning Complex. On September 10, 2020, the August Complex set a record for the single-largest wildfire in the modern history of California, reaching a total area burned of 471,185 acres (1,907 km2). On September 11, the August Complex merged with the Elkhorn Fire, another massive wildfire of 255,039 acres (1,032 km2), turning the August Complex into a monster wildfire of 746,607 acres (3,021 km2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Complex Fire</span> A large complex wildfire in Northern California in 2020

The North Complex Fire was a massive wildfire complex that burned in the Plumas National Forest in Northern California in the counties of Plumas and Butte. 21 fires were started by lightning on August 17, 2020; by September 5, all the individual fires had been put out with the exception of the Claremont and Bear Fires, which merged on that date, and the Sheep Fire, which was then designated a separate incident. On September 8, strong winds caused the Bear/Claremont Fire to explode in size, rapidly spreading to the southwest. On September 8, 2020, the towns of Berry Creek and Feather Falls were immediately evacuated at 3:15 p.m. PDT with no prior warning, By September 9, 2020, the towns of Berry Creek and Feather Falls had been leveled, with few homes left standing. The fire threatened the city of Oroville, before its westward spread was stopped. The fire killed 16 people and injured more than 100. Among the 16 fatalities was a 16-year-old boy. The complex burned an estimated 318,935 acres (129,068 ha), and was 100% contained on December 3. The fire was managed by the U.S. Forest Service in conjunction with Cal Fire, with the primary incident base in Quincy. The North Complex Fire was the sixth-largest in California's modern history, and the deadliest fire in the 2020 California wildfire season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Colorado wildfires</span>

The 2020 Colorado wildfire season was a series of significant wildfires that burned throughout the U.S. state of Colorado as part of the 2020 Western United States wildfire season. With a total of 665,454 acres (269,300 ha) burned, and the 3 largest fires in state history, it is Colorado's largest wildfire season on record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Lassen County wildfires</span> 2020 wildfire sub-season that burned in Lassen County

The 2020 Lassen County wildfire season included seven large wildfires that burned entirely or in part in Lassen County. A total of 203,296 acres (82,271 ha) of land was burned in Lassen County, making it one of the larger clusters of fires in the 2020 California wildfire season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 California wildfires</span> An overview of major wildfires in California during the year 2021

The 2021 California wildfire season was a series of wildfires that burned across the U.S. state of California. By the end of 2021 a total of 8,835 fires were recorded, burning 2,568,948 acres (1,039,616 ha) across the state. Approximately 3,629 structures were damaged or destroyed by the wildfires, and at least seven firefighters and two civilians were injured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Arizona wildfires</span> Wildfires in Arizona during spring and summer 2021

The 2021 Arizona wildfire season was a series of wildfires that burned across the state of Arizona, United States. Wildfires across the state burned 524,428 acres (212,228 ha) of land in at least 1,773 fires throughout the state, fueled in part by a drought, hot temperatures, and thunderstorms producing dry lightning. At one point in late June, over 20 active wildfires were burning across the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire</span> 2022 wildfire in New Mexico

The 2022 Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire was the largest and most destructive wildfire in the history of the U.S. state of New Mexico. Burning 341,471 acres between early April and late June in the southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the fire was the most significant of the record-breaking 2022 New Mexico wildfire season as well as the largest wildfire of 2022 in the contiguous United States. The fire destroyed at least 903 structures, including several hundred homes, and damaged 85 more, while threatening more than 12,000 other structures in the region.

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