Coffee Pot Fire | |
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Part of the 2024 California wildfires | |
![]() The southwestern flank of the fire on August 15 | |
Date(s) |
|
Statistics | |
Perimeter | 100% contained |
Burned area | 14,104 acres (5,708 ha; 22 sq mi; 57 km2) |
Impacts | |
Deaths | 0 |
Non-fatal injuries | 3 |
Structures destroyed | Unknown |
Ignition | |
Cause | Lightning |
The 2024 Coffee Pot Fire was a large wildfire in Tulare County, California. It began on August 3, and was contained on December 16. It was the 14th-biggest fire of the 2024 California wildfire season, and the longest lasting fire of the season.
The fire began as a result of a lightning strike on the morning of August 3, [1] and had little growth until a large tree fell, igniting the fire further. [2] By August 14 the fire had reached 50 acres (20 ha) in size. [3] The fire began to move into steep terrain the following day, and a fire command post was set up in Three Rivers as fire crews began to dig fire lines. [4] On August 15, 70 personnel were assigned to the fire, including several helicopters. [2] On August 17 the fire had reached 228 acres (92 ha) in size, [5] [6] and by August 19 it had rapidly grown to a size of 869 acres (352 ha) while 353 personnel worked to fight it. [7] [8]
On August 20 the southern portions of the fire had begun to push into the Surprise Grove area, [9] [10] and on August 22 an evacuation warning was issued for areas directly west of the Sequoia National Park. [11] [12] The fire reached 2,683 acres (1,086 ha) in size the following day, and crews conducted aerial firefighting operations. [12] On August 24 the number of personnel assigned to the fire increased to 918, [13] and by August 28 the number had again increased to 1,312. [14] On August 29 the fire had grown to 5,683 acres (2,300 ha) in coverage, [15] and the fire began to push toward the Kaweah River. [15] Containment on the fire reached 11% for the first time on August 31 as several fire lines were completed. [16] [17] [1]
On September 1, more evacuation warnings were issued encompassing the communities of Cabin Cove, Silver City and Mineral King. [18] Containment on the fire reached 13% on September 2, and 1,369 crews worked to contain it. [19] [20] [21] By September 8, the fire had covered 13,347 acres (5,401 ha), [22] [23] and on September 9 fire retardant was dropped on the northeastern portions of the fire. [24] Containment was declared to be at 37% on September 10, and many evacuation warnings sent out due to the fire were lowered. [25] The fire reached 13,715 acres (5,550 ha) on September 11 and breached several control lines that were set up along the Horse Creek area. [26]
Containment on the fire reached 41% on September 12, and the fire itself had reached a size of 13,999 acres (5,665 ha) while a crew of 1,092 personnel worked to contain it. [27] On September 13, containment had been pushed up to 59% while crews retained fire lines. [28] [29]
3 firefighters were confirmed to have been injured by the fire. [30]