2021 California wildfires

The 2021 California wildfire season was a series of wildfires that burned across the U.S. state of California. By the end of 2021 a total of 8,835 fires were recorded, burning 2,568,948 acres (1,039,616 ha) across the state.[1] Approximately 3,629 structures were damaged or destroyed by the wildfires, and at least seven firefighters and two civilians were injured.[1]

2021 California wildfires
Smoke from multiple wildfires in California
Statistics[1]
Total fires8,619
Total area2,569,009 acres (1,039,641 ha)
CostUnknown
Date(s)
January 14–December 16
Buildings destroyed3,629
Deaths3
Non-fatal injuries22
Season
← 2020
2022 →

The wildfire season in California experienced an unusually early start amid an ongoing drought and historically low rainfall and reservoir levels.[2] In January 2021 alone, 297 fires burned 1,171 acres (4.74 km2) on nonfederal land according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, which is almost triple the number of fires and more than 20 times the acreage of the five-year average for January.[3][2] The January fires were exacerbated by unseasonably strong Santa Ana winds, and some of them burned in the same areas as previous fires like the CZU Lightning Complex.[4]

The long term trend is that wildfires in the state are increasing due to climate change in California.[5][6] In terms of the amount of fires burned, the 2021 season has been outpacing the 2020 season, which itself was the largest season in the state's recorded history. As of July 11, more than three times as many acres have burned compared to the previous year through that date, with drought, extreme heat, and reduced snowpack contributing to the severity of the fires.[7][8][9] The state also faces an increased risk of post-wildfire landslides.[10][11]

As of August 18, 2021, the state of California was facing "unprecedented fire conditions" as multiple fires including the Dixie Fire, McFarland Fire, Caldor Fire, and others, raged on.[12]

On October 18, 2021, much of the state—particularly Northern California, where the majority of the significant fires had been located—received its first major precipitation since the start of the wildfire season.[13] This significantly lowered wildfire risk in the region.

Impact
Fire cloud produced by the Dixie Fire, which became the largest single (non-complex) wildfire in California history by August 6, 2021
Firefighters setting a prescribed fire on January 27, 2021 near Ant Canyon in Kern County
Fire retardant and smoldering brush in the Tumbleweed Fire north of Los Angeles in July 2021

More than 120 families have been evacuated from the fires, and companies including PG&E have preemptively spent billions of dollars to reduce the risk of wildfires and avoid an event similar to the previous year's fire season.[4][14] Firefighters have also set prescribed fires to prevent other fires burning.[15][16][17][18] During evacuations from the Lava Fire, an illegal marijuana farmer was shot and killed by police after brandishing a firearm at authorities, while "defending his farm".[19][20]

List of wildfires
Aerial view from the northwest of the Tiltill Fire's smoke plume, just north of the Hetch Hetchy in Yosemite

The following is a list of fires that burned more than 1,000 acres (400 ha), or produced significant structural damage or casualties.

Name County Acres Start date Containment date Notes Ref
Owens Kern1,512May 1May 7Unknown cause[21][22][23]
Southern San Diego5,366May 2May 64 structures destroyed[24][22]
Palisades Los Angeles1,202May 14May 26Human-caused, suspected arson; 1 firefighter injured[25]
Sargents Monterey1,100May 30June 2Unknown cause[26]
Sierra San Diego1,000June 9June 12[27][28]
Willow Monterey2,877June 17July 12Unknown cause[29]
Mojave San Bernardino2,490June 17June 26Caused by lightning[30][31]
Nettle Tulare1,265June 18July 2[32][33][34][35]
Henry Alpine1,320June 24July 27Caused by lightning[36]
Lava Siskiyou26,409June 25September 3Caused by lightning; 23 structures destroyed; 1 structure damaged; 6 firefighters injured[37][38]
Shell Kern1,984June 27July 2Caused by a car fire[39][40]
Tennant Siskiyou10,580June 28July 12Unknown cause; 9 structures destroyed[41][42]
Salt Shasta12,660June 30July 19Caused by hot material falling off of a vehicle; 43 structures destroyed[43][44]
East Fork Alpine1,136July 1July 11Caused by lightning[45][46]
Beckwourth Complex Plumas, Lassen105,670July 3September 22Caused by lightning; includes the Dotta Fire and the Sugar Fire; 148 structures destroyed; 23 structures damaged[47]
Tamarack Alpine, Mono, Douglas (NV)68,637July 4October 8Caused by lightning; 25 structures destroyed; 7 structures damaged[48][49]
Juniper Modoc1,011July 5July 13Unknown cause[50]
River Mariposa, Madera9,656July 11July 19Unknown cause; 12 structures destroyed; 2 structures damaged[51]
Dexter Mono2,965July 12July 27Caused by lightning[52][53]
Dixie Butte, Lassen, Plumas, Shasta, Tehama963,309July 13October 25Caused by contact between tree and power lines; 1,329 structures destroyed; 95 structures damaged; 1 firefighter fatality; 3 firefighter injuries. Merged with the Fly Fire on July 24. Second-largest wildfire and the largest single (non-complex) wildfire in recorded California history[54][55][56][57]
Peak Kern2,098July 20August 12Unknown cause; 1 structure destroyed[58]
Fly Plumas4,300July 22October 25Unknown cause; merged with the Dixie Fire on July 24[59]
McFarland Shasta, Tehama, Trinity122,653July 29September 16Caused by lightning; 46 structures destroyed; 1 structure damaged; 6 firefighters injured[60]
Monument Trinity223,124July 30October 25Caused by lightning; 52 structures destroyed; 3 structures damaged[61]
River Complex Siskiyou, Trinity199,359July 30October 25Caused by lightning; 122 structures destroyed; 2 structures damaged; consists of 22 fires, of which the largest are the Haypress Fire, the Summer Fire, and the Cronan Fire[62]
McCash Siskiyou94,962July 31October 27Caused by lightning; 1 firefighter fatality[63][64]
Tiltill Tuolumne2,323July 31October 15Caused by lightning[65]
Antelope Siskiyou145,632August 1October 15Caused by lightning; 18 structures destroyed; 4 structures destroyed[66]
River Nevada, Placer2,619August 4August 13Unknown cause; 142 structures destroyed; 21 structures damaged; 4 injuries[67]
Caldor El Dorado, Amador, Alpine221,835August 15October 21Unknown cause; 1,003 structures destroyed; 81 structures damaged; 5 injuries[68]
Walkers Tulare8,777August 14September 18Caused by lightning[69]
French Kern26,535August 18October 19Human-caused; 49 structures destroyed; 6 structures damaged; 1 firefighter fatality[70][71]
South San Bernardino819August 25September 1Unknown cause; 17 structures destroyed[72]
Chaparral San Diego, Riverside1,427August 28September 9Unknown cause; 3 structures destroyed[73]
Knob Humboldt2,421August 29September 12Unknown cause[74]
Windy Tulare97,528September 9November 15Caused by lightning; 128 structures destroyed; 4 injuries[75]
KNP Complex Tulare88,307September 10December 16Caused by lightning; includes the Colony Fire and the Paradise Fire; 4 structures destroyed; 1 structure damaged[76]
Fawn Shasta8,578September 22October 2Suspected arson; 185 structures destroyed; 26 structures damaged; 3 injuries[77][78]
Alisal Santa Barbara16,970October 11November 16Unknown cause; 12 structures destroyed[79]

Wildfires listed by month

See also

References
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  4. "Powerful Santa Ana wind event kindles January wildfires in California". The Washington Post. 20 January 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  5. "Wildfires & Climate Change | California Air Resources Board". ww2.arb.ca.gov. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  6. Field, Rebecca Miller,Katharine Mach,Chris. "Climate Change Is Central to California's Wildfires". Scientific American. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  7. Popovich, Nadja (11 June 2021). "How Severe Is the Western Drought? See For Yourself". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  8. Smith, Hayley (12 July 2021). "California hit by record-breaking fire destruction: 'Climate change is real, it's bad'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
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  79. Yee, Gregory; Seidman, Lila (12 October 2021). "Alisal fire explodes to 6,000 acres near Santa Barbara, closes 101 Freeway". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 12 October 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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