The 2021 California wildfire season was a series of
wildfire
A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identi ...
s that burned across the state of
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
. 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
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) is the fire department of the California Natural Resources Agency in the U.S. state of California. It is responsible for fire protection in various areas under state responsi ...
, 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
The Santa Ana winds (sometimes devil winds) "Scholars who have looked into the name's origins generally agree that it derives from Santa Ana Canyon, the portal where the Santa Ana River -- as well as a congested Riverside (CA-91) Freeway -- leav ...
, 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
Climate change in California has resulted in higher than average temperatures, leading to increased occurrences of drought and wildfires. During the next few decades in California, climate change is likely to further reduce water availability, ...
. 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
A heat wave, or heatwave, is a period of excessively hot weather, which may be accompanied by high humidity, especially in oceanic climate countries. While definitions vary, a heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the ...
, 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
The Caldor Fire was a large wildfire that burned 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. T ...
, 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
![Tumbleweed Fire, Los Angeles County 2021, Part 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Tumbleweed_Fire%2C_Los_Angeles_County_2021%2C_Part_1.JPG)
More than 120 families have been evacuated from the fires, and companies including
PG&E
The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is an American investor-owned utility (IOU). The company is headquartered in the Pacific Gas & Electric Building, in San Francisco, California. PG&E provides natural gas and electricity to 5.2 millio ...
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
This is a partial and incomplete list of California wildfires. California has dry, windy, and often hot weather conditions from spring through late autumn that can produce moderate to severe wildfires. Pre-1800, when the area was much more f ...
References
External links
Current fire information
nbsp;— California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) is the fire department of the California Natural Resources Agency in the U.S. state of California. It is responsible for fire protection in various areas under state responsi ...
(CAL FIRE)
{{DEFAULTSORT:California Wildfires
Cali
Effects of climate change
California, 2021
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...