The Sesnon Fire was a wildfire that broke out near the oil fields of Oat Mountain, north of Porter Ranch, California, on Monday October 13, 2008. The cause of this fire was a power line falling onto dry brush near a drainage area. A state of emergency was declared by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on October 13 in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. The fire burned more than 22 square miles (57 km2) and cost US$7.9 million to fight. This fire occurred concurrently two others, one in San Diego County and another at the eastern end of the San Fernando Valley. One person lost their life due to the low visibility on highways because of the smoke from the fire.
The Springs Fire was a wildfire in Ventura County, California in May 2013. Although the fire burned only 15 homes, it threatened 4,000. This threat passed when rain shower from few narrow cold-frontal rainbands moved through the California area because of a low-pressure system off the coast. Some places got more than half an inch of rain.
The May 2014 San Diego County wildfires were a swarm of 20 wildfires that erupted during May 2014, in San Diego County, California, during severe Santa Ana Wind conditions, historic drought conditions, and a heat wave. The main event during mid-May was preceded by a precursor fire that ignited on May 5. The Bernardo Fire has been declared accidental, and officials believe the Cocos Fire was intentionally set. The causes of the other fires are still under investigation by multiple agencies, and a joint task force was formed to coordinate the investigations and facilitate communications. Six injuries and one fire-related fatality were reported.
In terms of property damage, 2017 was the most destructive wildfire season on record in California at the time, surpassed by only the 2018 season and the 2020 season, with a total of 9,560 fires burning 1,548,429 acres (6,266.27 km2) of land, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, including five of the 20 most destructive wildland-urban interface fires in the state's history. Throughout 2017, the fires destroyed or damaged more than 10,000 structures in the state, a higher tally than the previous nine years combined. State data showed that the large wildfires killed 47 people – 45 civilians and 2 firefighters – almost higher than the previous 10 years combined. The total property damage and total amount of burned land were both surpassed by the 2018 California wildfires.
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.
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.
A series of mudflows occurred in Southern California in early January 2018, particularly affecting areas northwest of Montecito in Santa Barbara County. The incident was responsible for 23 deaths, although the body of one of the victims has never been found. Approximately 163 people were hospitalized with various injuries, including four in critical condition. The disaster occurred one month after a series of major wildfires. The conflagrations devastated steep slopes, which caused loss of vegetation and destabilization of the soil and greatly facilitated subsequent mudflows. The mudflows caused at least $177 million in property damage, and cost at least $7 million in emergency responses and another $43 million to clean up.
The Woolsey Fire was a wildfire that started in Los Angeles County and spread north to neighboring Ventura County, both located in the U.S. state of California. The fire ignited on November 8, 2018 and was not fully contained until November 21, 2018. The fire burned 96,949 acres of land, destroyed 1,643 structures, killed three people, and prompted the evacuation of more than 295,000 people. It was one of several fires in California that ignited on the same day, along with the nearby Hill Fire and the destructive Camp Fire in Northern California.
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 Maria Fire was a wildfire that burned the south of the community of Santa Paula in the area of Somis, California on the top of South Mountain in Ventura County. The fire ignited in the evening hours of Thursday, October 31, 2019, and consumed well over 4,000 acres (16 km2) within its first several hours of burning. Despite the aggressive initial attack by first responders, the fire exploded rapidly due to a strong Santa Ana wind event that was occurring in the area during its ignition.
The Bobcat Fire was a large wildfire in Los Angeles County during the 2020 California wildfire season. The fire ignited on September 6, 2020, and burned 115,997 acres (46,942 ha) before it was fully contained by November 27. The Bobcat Fire primarily burned in the central San Gabriel Mountains, in and around the Angeles National Forest, and is one of the largest fires on record in Los Angeles County to date.
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.
By the end of 2024, a total of 8,024 wildfires burned a cumulative 1,050,012 acres (424,925 ha) throughout the U.S. state of California. The total number of wildfires was slightly higher than the five-year average, while the total number of acres burned was lower. Wildfires destroyed a total of 1,716 structures and killed one person in the state in 2024. This season had the most burned acres since the 2021 wildfire season.
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 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.
There is an ongoing series of wildfires in the U.S. state of California. A series of fires in Southern California, specifically in the Greater Los Angeles area, have caused at least 28 deaths, thousands of destroyed structures, evacuations and widespread power outages in January 2025.
The Palisades Fire is an ongoing wildfire burning in the Santa Monica Mountains of Los Angeles County in Southern California which has burned 23,448 acres, destroying large areas of Pacific Palisades, Topanga, and Malibu; it is part of a series of wildfires around Southern California being driven by an extreme Santa Ana wind event. According to CalFire, it grew to be the tenth-deadliest and third-most destructive California wildfire, with eleven deaths and 6,770 destroyed structures.
Since January 7, 2025, a series of destructive wildfires have affected the Los Angeles metropolitan area and surrounding regions. As of January 25, 2025, five fires remain active, the Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, Hughes Fire, Border 2 Fire and Laguna 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. As of January 8, 2025, at 10:36 a.m. PST, the fire had spread to approximately 14,117 acres (5,713 ha). It is one of several fires that were driven by an extremely powerful Santa Ana wind event, along with the larger Palisades Fire. As of January 14, 2025, it is the fifth deadliest fire in California history, having killed 17 people.
Chronology of the 2025 Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, California, and Los Angeles County. Times are PST. "~" denotes "approximately".
