The Thomas Fire was a massive wildfire that affected Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, and one of multiple wildfires that ignited in southern California in December 2017. It burned approximately 281,893 acres before being fully contained on January 12, 2018, making it the largest wildfire in modern California history at the time. It was surpassed by the Ranch Fire, part of the Mendocino Complex, in August 2018. The fire is currently the eighth-largest wildfire in modern California history, as of 2025. The fire was officially declared out on June 1, 2018, after more than two months in which no hotspots were detected. The Thomas Fire destroyed at least 1,063 structures, while damaging 280 others; and the fire caused over $2.2 billion in damages, including $230 million in suppression costs, becoming the seventh-most destructive wildfire in state history at the time. As of August 2020, the Thomas Fire is California's tenth-most destructive wildfire. Ventura's agriculture industry suffered at least $171 million in losses due to the Thomas Fire.
The Creek Fire was a large wildfire that burned in Kagel Canyon and the Angeles National Forest north of Sylmar, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, United States, and one of multiple wildfires that broke out across Southern California in December 2017. The Creek Fire burned 15,619 acres (63 km2) and destroyed 123 structures, including 60 homes, before being contained on January 9, 2018, following heavy rainfall from a winter storm. The fire threatened the communities of Santa Clarita, Glendale, Olive View, Lake View Terrace, Sunland-Tujunga, Shadow Hills, Sylmar, Pacoima, Lopez Canyon, and Kagel Canyon, as well as the Olive View–UCLA Medical Center. During the wildfire, 115,000 residents were forced to evacuate their homes.
The Rye Fire was a wildfire that burned in Santa Clarita, California, in the United States, and one of multiple wildfires that broke out across Southern California in December 2017. The fire threatened over 5,000 structures, including Six Flags Magic Mountain, threatened the city of Santa Clarita and impacted traffic on Interstate 5. The Rye Fire burned a total of 6,049 acres (24.48 km2), before it was fully contained on December 12. The fire destroyed six buildings, including minor structures located at the Peter J. Pitchess Detention Center.
A series of 29 wildfires ignited across Southern California in December 2017. Six of the fires became significant wildfires, and led to widespread evacuations and property losses. The wildfires burned over 307,900 acres (1,246 km2), and caused traffic disruptions, school closures, hazardous air conditions, and power outages; over 230,000 people were forced to evacuate. The largest of the wildfires was the Thomas Fire, which grew to 281,893 acres (1,140.78 km2), and became the largest wildfire in modern California history, until it was surpassed by the Ranch Fire in the Mendocino Complex, in the following year.
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 California, with the Ranch Fire being California's single-largest recorded wildfire at the time until the August Complex fire in 2020. 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.
By the end of 2019, according to Cal Fire and the US Forest Service, 7,860 wildfires were recorded across the U.S. state of California, 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.
The Tick Fire was a wildfire that burned in Los Angeles County, California. The fire broke out on October 24, 2019, and burned several thousand acres. The fire forced the mass evacuation of 40,000 people from the Santa Clarita Valley.
The Lake Fire was a wildfire that burned during the 2020 California wildfire season in the Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles County in the state of California in the United States. The fire, which was first reported on August 12, 2020, burned 31,089 acres (12,581 ha) near Lake Hughes. It was fully contained on September 28. The cause of the fire remains unknown. The fire damaged 3 structures, destroyed 12 structures and 21 outbuildings, and injured 4 firefighters.
The Silverado Fire was a wildfire that burned in October and November 2020 in southern Orange County, California northeast of the city of Irvine. The fire started on October 26 around 6:47 AM near Orange County Route S-18 and Silverado Canyon Road, fueled by strong Santa Ana winds gusting up to 80 miles per hour (130 km/h) and low humidity. The fire initially moved south from Loma Ridge toward the Orchard Hills, Northwood and Portola Springs communities of Irvine before moving southeast through Limestone Canyon and toward the communities of Foothill Ranch and Lake Forest. The fire burned in a path similar to that taken by the 2007 Santiago Fire, mostly through terrain that had not seen significant burning in the 13 years since that fire. Authorities announced 100% containment on November 7, 2020.
The Oak Fire was a destructive wildfire in Mariposa County and the Sierra National Forest in Central California during the 2022 California wildfire season. The fire was reported on July 22, 2022, and burned 19,244 acres (7,788 ha) before being fully contained on September 2, 2022. On June 16, 2023, a 71-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of arson for starting the fire.
The Fawn Fire was a destructive wildfire in Northern California's Shasta County, near Redding, in late September and early October 2021. The fire, which was caused by an alleged act of arson, ignited on September 22 in mountains to the northeast of Redding. High winds the following day drove the fire south and west into neighborhoods in the wildland-urban interface, where it destroyed 185 buildings and damaged 26 more. At least three firefighters were injured. The Fawn Fire cost more than $25 million to suppress and burned 8,578 acres before being fully contained on October 2. A woman was arrested the day of the Fawn Fire's ignition and charged with starting the fire. As of 2024, legal proceedings remained ongoing.
The Route Fire was a wildfire that burned during the 2022 California wildfire season, along Interstate 5 near the community of Castaic in Los Angeles County, California during a dramatic state-wide heatwave in late August and early September, 2022. At least seven firefighters sustained heat-related injuries, while two structures were destroyed and 5,208 acres (2,108 ha) burned.
The Rocky Fire was a large wildfire in Lake, Colusa, and Yolo counties in Northern California in 2015. The fire burned 69,438 acres between its ignition on July 29 and its full containment on August 14. Caused by a malfunctioning water heater being used for illegal cannabis cultivation, the fire destroyed 96 structures and was the fifth largest fire of the 2015 fire season in California.
The Line Fire was a large wildfire that burned in San Bernardino County, California. The fire began on September 5, 2024, at 6:33 PM PDT near the community of Highland and spread into the San Bernardino National Forest. The fire forced the evacuation of multiple communities. On September 10, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department identified and arrested 34-year-old Justin Wayne Halstenberg, a resident of Norco, on suspicion of starting the fire on September 5. As of December 23, 2024, the Line Fire is reported as 100 percent contained at 43,978 acres.
The Bridge Fire was a destructive wildfire in the Angeles National Forest in Southern California's Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. The fire began on September 8 and burned a total of 56,030 acres before being fully contained on November 26, 2024. The cause of the fire is under investigation. It was the third-largest wildfire of California's 2024 fire season. The fire threatened the areas of Wrightwood, Mount Baldy Village and Jackson Lake, where mandatory evacuation orders were in place. The fire affected nearly 100 structures total.
The Palisades Fire is a wildfire that began burning in the Santa Monica Mountains of Los Angeles County on January 7, 2025, destroying large areas of Pacific Palisades, Topanga, and Malibu. One of a series of wildfires in Southern California driven by Santa Ana winds, it has burned 23,448 acres, killed 11 people, and destroyed 6,770 structures, making it the tenth-deadliest and third-most destructive California wildfire on record.
Since January 7, 2025, a series of destructive wildfires have affected the Los Angeles metropolitan area and surrounding regions. As of January 29, 2025, four fires remain active, which include the Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, Hughes Fire, and Border 2 Fire.
The Eaton Fire is an active wildfire burning in the Altadena area of Los Angeles County in Southern California. It began on the evening of January 7, 2025, in Eaton Canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains. The fire has burned approximately 14,000 acres (5,700 ha). It is one of several fires that were driven by an extremely powerful Santa Ana wind event, including the Palisades Fire. As of January 14, 2025, it is the fifth deadliest fire in California history, having killed 17 people.
The Hurst Fire was a wildfire that burned in the Sylmar area of the city of Los Angeles in Southern California. It was one of several fires driven by an extremely powerful Santa Ana wind event.
