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 Carr Fire was a large wildfire in 2018 in Northern California's Shasta and Trinity counties. The fire ignited on July 23 and burned 229,651 acres before it was fully contained on August 30. The Carr Fire destroyed 1,604 structures, including more than a thousand homes, and damaged 277 others. At the time it was the sixth-most destructive fire in California history, as well as the seventh-largest wildfire in recorded California history. The Carr Fire cost over $1.659 billion, including $1.5 billion in insured losses and more than $158.7 million in suppression costs. At its height, the fire engaged as many as 4,766 personnel from multiple agencies.
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.
The Crews Fire was a wildfire that burned east of the city of Gilroy in Santa Clara County, California, in the United States. The fire started on July 5, 2020. It burned 5,513 acres (2,231 ha) and was extinguished on July 13, 2020. Burning approximately three miles east of Highway 101, the fire caused the evacuation approximately 20 homes and 70 residents. One structure was destroyed, one was damaged, and one firefighter was injured. It threatened 30 structures and farm and ranch lands in southeast Gilroy in the San Juan Valley. Mandatory evacuations were ordered on July 5, and they were lifted on July 8.
The Mineral Fire was a wildfire that burned in Coalinga Mineral Springs, west of Coalinga in Fresno, California in the United States. The fire was first reported on July 13, 2020 and burned an estimated 29,667 acres (12,006 ha) and before being fully contained on July 26. The fire threatened the communities of Los Gatos Creek Road from Indian Springs to Union Carbide Road and Bingham Springs. It resulted in the mandatory evacuations of Los Gatos Creek Road and Bingham Springs and led to the complete closure of State Route 198 from Firestone Ave. to the Monterey County Line. They were subsequently lifted on July 20.
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 Monument Fire was a wildfire west of Big Bar in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Trinity County, California in the United States. The fire, which was started by a lightning strike, was first reported on July 30, 2021. The communities of Big Flat, Big Bar, Del Loma, and Cedar Flat were evacuated, and Highway 299 was closed in the area. The fire destroyed four structures, including three homes. By the evening of October 27, the fire had burned 223,124 acres (90,295 ha) and was fully contained, and is the fifteenth-largest fire in modern California history.
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 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 $351 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 caused by a fatal car crash which caught fire and spread to the surrounding hillside. Keith Mulkey was driving the vehicle that started the Borel Fire, he had six DUI convictions and numerous alcohol related misdemeanor convictions.
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 Pedro Fire was a wildfire that burned in Mariposa and Tuolumne counties in California. The fire began on July 30, 2024, and the cause is currently under investigation. The fire prompted evacuations in multiple areas. The fire was contained on August 8, over a week after the fire began. The fire destroyed two structures and damaged 3 others.
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 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.
