Santa Ana winds in California expand fires and spread smoke over hundreds of miles, as in this October 2007 satellite imageThe Rim Fire consumed more than 250,000 acres (100,000 ha) of forest near Yosemite National Park, in 2013

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. Before Europeans arrived (pre-1800), when the area was much more forested and the ecology much more resilient, 4.4 million acres (1.8 million hectares) of forest and shrubland burned annually.^[1] Since 2000, the area of California that is burned annually has ranged between 90,000 acres and 1,590,000 acres.^[2]

Wildfires in California may be growing more dangerous because of the accumulation of wood fuel in forests, higher population and greater electricity transmission and distribution lines, and climate change^[3][4][5]. United States taxpayers pay about US$3 billion a year to fight wildfires, and big fires can lead to billions of dollars in property losses.^[6] At times, these wildfires are fanned or made worse by strong, dry winds, known as Diablo winds when they occur in the northern part of the state and Santa Ana winds when they occur in the south.

More than 350,000 people in California live in towns sited completely within zones deemed to be at very high risk of fire. In total, more than 2.7 million people live in "very high fire hazard severity zones", which also include areas at lesser risk.^[7]

The following is a list of notable wildfires of various sizes that have occurred in California.

• 1Largest wildfires
• 2Deadliest wildfires
• 3Most destructive wildfires
• 4Pre-2000
• 5Post-2000
  • 5.1Yearly statistics
  • 5.2Notable fires
• 6Areas of repeated ignition
• 7See also
• 8References
• 9External links

Largest wildfires[edit]

These are the 20 largest wildfires in California since 1932 (when accurate records started to be kept), according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE).^[8] List: "Top 20 Largest California Wildfires" (PDF).

Note: Burned area and position in the list are subject to change.

Deadliest wildfires[edit]

A list of the 20 deadliest wildfires, according to CAL FIRE, can be found at "Top 20 Deadliest California Wildfire" (PDF).

Note: Number of deaths and position in the list are subject to change.

Most destructive wildfires[edit]

A list of the 20 most destructive wildfires, according to CAL FIRE, can be found at: "Top 20 Most Destructive California Wildfires" (PDF).

Note: Number of destroyed structures and position in the list are subject to change.

Pre-2000[edit]

Remains of houses destroyed in the Oakland firestorm of 1991

• Santiago Canyon Fire (1889). Burned approximately 310,000 acres (130,000 ha).
• Berkeley Fire (1923). Destroyed 640 structures, including 584 homes.
• Griffith Park Fire (1933). Official death toll was 29 firefighters, but may have killed up to 58.
• Rattlesnake Fire (1953). 15 firefighters were killed in this arsonist's fire.
• Bel Air Fire (1961). 484 homes were destroyed; 112 injuries.
• Laguna Fire (1970). 382 homes burned, killing eight people.
• Painted Cave Fire (1990). 1 death and 430 buildings burned in this arson fire near Santa Barbara.
• Oakland firestorm (1991). Killed 25 people. Destroyed 2,843 single-family homes and 437 multi-family units.
• Mount Vision Fire (1995). 45 homes destroyed. Cause: illegal campfire.
• Panorama Fire (1980). 28,800 acres burned, destroying 310 homes and 67 structures, killing four people, and injuring 77 in north San Bernardino.^[18] Origin of fire was near Old Waterman Canyon along Hwy. 18, same general area as origin of the Old Fire (2003), but the Panorama fire burned west of through the North Park area of San Bernardino (near California State University, San Bernardino). Both fires were arson set.

Post-2000[edit]

Satellite image of the 2003 Cedar Fire, the fifth-largest wildfire in California historyPuerto Rico Fire Fighters at Miles Fire (southwestern Oregon)

Starting in 2001, the National Interagency Fire Center began keeping more accurate records on the total fire acreage burned in each state.^[19]

Yearly statistics[edit]

A 2015 study^[51] addressed whether the increase in fire risk in California is attributable to climate change.^[52]

Notable fires[edit]

Note: Check primary sources for up-to-date statistics.

Areas of repeated ignition[edit]

The summer 2008 wildfires were widespread and deadly, with at least 3,596 wildfires of various origins burning throughout Northern and Central California, for around four months

In some parts of California, fires can recur in areas with histories of fires. In Oakland, for example, fires of various size and ignition occurred in 1923, 1931, 1933, 1937, 1946, 1955, 1960, 1961, 1968, 1970, 1980, 1990, 1991, 1995, 2002, and 2008.^[108][109] Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, and Los Angeles County are other examples. Orange and San Bernardino counties share a border that runs north to south through the Chino Hills State Park, with the park's landscape ranging from large green coastal sage scrub, grassland, and woodland, to areas of brown sparsely dense vegetation made drier by droughts or hot summers. The valley's grass and barren land can become easily susceptible to dry spells and drought, therefore making it a prime spot for brush fires and conflagrations, many of which have occurred since 1914. Hills and canyons have seen brush or wildfires in 1914, the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and into today.^[110]

On occasion, freak lightning strikes from thunderstorms may also spark wildfires in areas that have seen past ignition. Examples of this are the 1999 Megram Fire, the 2008 California wildfires.^{[citation needed]}, as well as both the LNU and SCU Lightning Complex fires of 2020.