2021 California wildfires

The 2021 California wildfire season was a series of wildfires that burned across the state of California. As of December 16, 2021, a total of 8,619 fires have been recorded, burning across the state. At least 3,629 buildings have been destroyed by the wildfires, and at least seven firefighters and two civilians have been injured battling the fires.

The wildfire season in California experienced an unusually early start amid an ongoing drought and historically low rainfall and reservoir levels. In January 2021 alone, 297 fires burned 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. 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.

The long term trend is that wildfires in the state are increasing due to climate change in California. 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. The state also faces an increased risk of post-wildfire landslides.

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.

On October 18, 2021, the state of California, especially in the Northern regions where the majority of the fires had been located, received its first rain in over 200 days. Wildfire risk has lowered substantially in Northern California but remains high in Southern California where the Santa Ana wind season has remained mild so far.

Impact

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. Firefighters have also set prescribed fires to prevent other fires burning. 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".

List of wildfires

The following is a list of fires that burned more than , or produced significant structural damage or casualties.

Wildfires Listed by month

See also

* List of California wildfires

References

External links

Current fire information
nbsp;— California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)

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Effects of climate change
California, 2021
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