The October 2007 California wildfires, also known as the Fall 2007 California firestorm, were a series of about thirty wildfires that began igniting across Southern California on October 20. At least 1,500 homes were destroyed and approximately 972,147 acres of land was burned from Santa Barbara County to the U.S.–Mexico border, surpassing the October 2003 California wildfires in scope, which were estimated to have burned 800,000 acres (3,200 km2). The wildfires killed a total of 14 people, with nine of them dying directly from the fires; 160 others were injured, including at least 124 firefighters. At their height, the raging fires were visible from space. These fires included the vast majority of the largest and deadliest wildfires of the 2007 California wildfire season. The only wildfire in 2007 that surpassed any of the individual October 2007 fires in size was the Zaca 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.
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 Cranston Fire was a wildfire that burned in southwest Riverside County, California, in the United States. The fire was started on July 25, 2018, by Brandon M. McGlover, in an act of arson. The fire burned a total of 13,139 acres (53 km2), before it was fully contained on August 10. The Cranston Fire impacted the communities of Idyllwild, Mountain Center, and Anza as well as recreational activities in the Lake Hemet area, San Bernardino National Forest and Mount San Jacinto State Park. Over 7,000 people were evacuated due to the Cranston Fire. These communities also went without power for 11 days in 100° temperatures.
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.
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. The fire was named after one of the roadways close to the ignition site, which is named Apple Tree Lane.
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.
The River Fire was a destructive 2021 wildfire that burned 2,619 acres (1,060 ha) near Colfax in Nevada County and Placer County, California. The fire broke out on August 4, 2021, and burned 2,619 acres (1,060 ha) before it was fully contained on August 13, 2021. The River Fire destroyed 142 structures, damaged 21 more, and resulted in four injuries to firefighters and civilians. It was the fifth most destructive fire of California's 2021 wildfire season. The exact cause of the fire is unknown, but it was determined to have been of human origin by investigators who traced the ignition to a campground by the Bear River west of Colfax.
The Caldor Fire was a large wildfire that burned 221,835 acres in the Eldorado National Forest and other areas of the Sierra Nevada in El Dorado, Amador, and Alpine County, California, in the United States during the 2021 California wildfire season. The fire was first reported on Saturday, August 14, 2021, and was fully contained on Thursday, October 21, 2021. The Caldor Fire destroyed 1,005 structures and damaged 81 more, primarily in the US Highway 50 corridor and in the community of Grizzly Flats, 2/3 of which was destroyed by the fire.
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 Fairview Fire is a deadly and destructive wildfire that burned during the 2022 California wildfire season southwest of Valle Vista and east of Hemet in Riverside County, California in the United States. The fire ignited on September 5, 2022, during a severe heatwave that had plagued much of the southwest throughout early September and, due to the extreme weather conditions, grew to a deadly and destructive conflagration in the chaparral-filled foothills within just several hours of igniting.
The 2024 California wildfire season is an ongoing series of wildfires that have been burning throughout the U.S. state of California. As of December 6, 2024, a total of 7,830 wildfires have burned a cumulative 1,045,204 acres (422,979 ha). Year-to-date, the number of wildfires and the number of acres burned are higher than the five-year average. Wildfires have destroyed 1,680 structures and killed one person in the state in 2024. This season has had the most burned acres since the the 2021 season.
The Park Fire was a massive wildfire in Northern California's Butte and Tehama counties. It ignited on July 24, 2024 in an alleged act of arson in the city of Chico's Bidwell Park in Butte County. Defying initial fire suppression efforts, the Park Fire grew rapidly over the following days, burning into the Ishi Wilderness and the Lassen National Forest. Thousands of people in foothill communities evacuated, Lassen Volcanic National Park closed to the public, and hundreds of buildings were destroyed. The fire burned a total of 429,603 acres before being fully contained on September 26, 2024. Fire suppression operations cost $310 million.
The Borel Fire was a large and destructive wildfire started on July 24, 2024 that burned south of Lake Isabella in Kern County, California. The fire burned a total of 59,288 acres before being contained on September 15. The fire was determined to be caused by a fatal car crash which caught fire and spread to the surrounding hillside.
The Nixon Fire was a sizable wildfire that burned in Riverside county in Southern California. It ignited on July 29, 2024, in the census-designated place of Aguanga in Riverside County. As of August 7, 2024, it has burned 5,222 acres and is 100 percent contained.
The Six Rivers (SRF) Lightning Complex fires were a series of related wildfires that burned in the Six Rivers National Forest in California from August to November 2022 as part of the 2022 California wildfire season. The fire complex consisted of 12 fires located in Humboldt and Trinity counties.
The Corral Fire was a sizeable wildfire that rapidly burned 14,168 acres across San Joaquin County in the U.S. state of California. It was active from June 1 to June 6, 2024, and was 100% contained as of August 2024. It was the first fire of the 2024 California wildfire season to burn more than 2,000 acres, and was the largest wildfire of the season until the Post Fire began 9 days after the Corral Fire was declared contained. The burn area contained Site 300, the only known remaining occurrence of large-flowered fiddleneck in the wild.
The Airport Fire was a wildfire that burned 23,526 acres (9,521 ha) in the Santa Ana Mountains in Southern California in September and October 2024. The fire destroyed 160 structures in Orange and Riverside counties and caused 21 non-fatal injuries. At its peak, 20,780 structures were threatened by the fire.
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. As of November 26, 2024, the fire burned 56,030 acres and is 100 percent contained. The cause of the fire is under investigation. It is the third-largest wildfire of California's 2024 fire season The fire threatened the area of Jackson Lake, with mandatory evacuation orders in place. As of November 26, the fire has affected at least 100 structures total.
The 2024 Coffee Pot Fire is an actively-burning wildfire in Tulare County, California. It began on August 3, and was 93% contained as of September 20. It is the 13th-biggest fire of the 2024 California wildfire season, and is the 6th-largest active wildfire of the season.
