Wildfires

Extracted Attributes

• Types

  Bushfire (Australia), desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, peat fire, prairie fire, vegetation fire, veld fire.

• Impacts

  Direct health impacts of smoke and fire, destruction of property (especially in wildland–urban interfaces), economic losses, potential for contamination of water and soil, increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations (climate change feedback).

• Definition

  Unplanned and uncontrolled fires in areas of combustible vegetation.

• Common Regions

  Siberia (Russia), California (United States), Washington (United States), Oregon (United States), Texas (United States), Florida (United States), British Columbia (Canada), Australia. Particularly susceptible in Mediterranean climates or taiga biome.

• Contributing Factors

  Available fuels, physical setting, weather (climatic cycles with wet periods, drought, heat), Santa Ana Winds, climate change, land-use change, wildfire suppression, inadequate preparedness, policies like California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Department of Insurance (DOI) rate regulations.

• Palisades Fire Cause

  Fueled by Santa Ana Winds.

• Human Impact on Wildfires

  Doubling in land area burned compared to natural levels due to human practices.

• US Wildfire Activity (2015-2024 average)

  30,811 fires, 3,184,601 acres burned.

• California Wildfire Statistics (2025 season, preliminary)

  4,195 wildfires, 201,295 acres burned, 30 fatalities, 16,329 structures destroyed.

Timeline

• Griffith Park Fire in Los Angeles, resulting in 29 deaths. (Source: Web Search Results)

  1933-10-XX

• Rattlesnake Fire in Glenn County, resulting in 15 deaths. (Source: Web Search Results)

  1953-07-XX

• Loop Fire in Los Angeles County, resulting in 12 deaths. (Source: Web Search Results)

  1966-11-XX

• Tunnel (Oakland Hills) Fire in Alameda County, resulting in 25 deaths. (Source: Web Search Results)

  1991-10-XX

• Cedar Fire in San Diego County, resulting in 15 deaths. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2003-10-XX

• Tubbs Fire in Napa and Sonoma counties, resulting in 22 deaths. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2017-10-XX

• Camp Fire (Paradise) in Butte County, resulting in 85 deaths. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2018-11-XX

• North Complex Fire in Butte, Plumas, and Yuba counties, resulting in 15 deaths. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2020-08-XX

• A handful of wildfires, including the Eaton Fire and Palisades Fire, erupted in the Los Angeles metro area, causing significant destruction and fatalities. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2025-01-07

• California's fire season, with preliminary statistics showing 4,195 wildfires, 201,295 acres burned, 30 fatalities, and 16,329 structures destroyed. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2025-XX-XX

Wildfire

A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a bushfire (in Australia), desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, peat fire, prairie fire, vegetation fire, or veld fire. Some natural forest ecosystems depend on wildfire. Modern forest management often engages in prescribed burns to mitigate fire risk and promote natural forest cycles. However, controlled burns can turn into wildfires by mistake. Wildfires can be classified by cause of ignition, physical properties, combustible material present, and the effect of weather on the fire. Wildfire severity results from a combination of factors such as available fuels, physical setting, and weather. Climatic cycles with wet periods that create substantial fuels, followed by drought and heat, often precede severe wildfires. These cycles have been intensified by climate change, and can be exacerbated by curtailment of mitigation measures (such as budget or equipment funding), or sheer enormity of the event. Wildfires are a common type of disaster in some regions, including Siberia (Russia); California, Washington, Oregon, Texas, Florida (United States); British Columbia (Canada); and Australia. Areas with Mediterranean climates or in the taiga biome are particularly susceptible. Wildfires can severely impact humans and their settlements. Effects include for example the direct health impacts of smoke and fire, as well as destruction of property (especially in wildland–urban interfaces), and economic losses. There is also the potential for contamination of water and soil. At a global level, human practices have made the impacts of wildfire worse, with a doubling in land area burned by wildfires compared to natural levels. Humans have impacted wildfire through climate change (e.g. more intense heat waves and droughts), land-use change, and wildfire suppression. The carbon released from wildfires can add to carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere and thus contribute to the greenhouse effect. This creates a climate change feedback. Naturally occurring wildfires can have beneficial effects on those ecosystems that have evolved with fire. In fact, many plant species depend on the effects of fire for growth and reproduction.

Web Search Results

• National Fire News | National Interagency Fire Center

  Fire activity remains high across the country with 88 large uncontained wildfires. More than 17,000 wildland firefighters and support personnel are on the ground, working day and night to protect lives, homes, and the public lands we all enjoy. Their commitment is extraordinary, and we are deeply grateful for their efforts. [...] 10-year average Year-to-Date 2015-2024 Fires: 30,811 Acres: 3,184,601 Current Wildfires Expand All ### Alaska Fires: 42 Acres: 629,628 New: 0 Contained: 0 [...] As we head into the weekend, hot, dry, and windy weather continues to create challenging fire conditions across parts of the Northwest, Great Basin, and Southwest. Some areas will see wind gusts over 40 mph and humidity levels dropping into the single digits. These are the kinds of conditions where even a tiny spark can lead to a fast-moving wildfire.

• The weather and climate influences on the January 2025 fires ...

  On January 7, 2025, a handful of wildfires erupted in the Los Angeles metro area and raced through multiple neighborhoods, killing more than two dozen people, razing upwards of 15,000 homes and businesses, and creating unhealthy air quality for millions of people. Based on preliminary estimates, the two largest blazes—the Eaton Fire and the Palisades Fire—have already moved into the second (Eaton) and third (Palisades) spots on California’s list of most destructive fires on record. [...] Preliminary analysis from the World Weather Attribution team found that in a cooler, pre-industrial climate (top bar), the most extreme periods of drought (red) occurred in early fall, and rarely overlapped the Santa Ana wind season (middle bar). In today's warmer climate (bottom bar), highly flammable conditions persist later in the year, increases the chance a wildfire will break out during the peak of the Santa Ana winds in December and January. Graphic by World Weather Attribution team. [...] These comparisons showed that both the temperature and the precipitation played a role, but the lack of any measurable fall precipitation contributed about 75 percent to the vegetation’s flammability, while the near-record-high temperature and low relative humidity—made more likely by long-term global warming—contributed about 25 percent. (The analysis did not look at the possibility that long-term warming contributed to the lack of fall precipitation; that possibility is discussed later in

• Fire Map: Track California Wildfires 2025 - CalMatters

  | Name | Deaths | Date | Counties | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Camp Fire (Paradise) | 85 | November 2018 | Butte | | Griffith Park | 29 | October 1933 | Los Angeles | | Tunnel (Oakland Hills) | 25 | October 1991 | Alameda | | Tubbs | 22 | October 2017 | Napa, Sonoma | | North Complex | 15 | August 2020 | Butte, Plumas, Yuba | | Cedar | 15 | October 2003 | San Diego | | Rattlesnake | 15 | July 1953 | Glenn | | Loop | 12 | November 1966 | Los Angeles | [...] Note: Total number of large wildfires and acres burned to-date calculated using data collected by Watch Duty. Watch Duty is a 501(c)(3) non-profit responsible for tracking and alerting all wildfire and firefighting efforts in real-time throughout the American West. Fatalities and structures damaged or destroyed to-date collected from incident data hosted on Cal Fire's website. #### Would you like to know more? ## Wildfires ### When is fire season in California? ## MORE ON THE TOPIC [...] Fetching data ## MORE ON THE TOPIC ### Read CalMatters' complete coverage of wildfires over the years Fetching data ### What causes wildfires? ### Loading... ## MORE ON THE TOPIC ### Lightning could spark more California fires as world warms ## Historical Fires #### California wildfire history as fire perimeters since 1900 Source: National Interagency Fire Center ## Cost of Wildfires ### How many people have died due to wildfires? Fetching data

• 2025 Fire Season Incident Archive - Cal Fire - CA.gov

  327,844 Total Emergency Responses 4,195 Wildfires 201,295 Acres Burned 30 Fatalities:Preliminary pending coroner confirmation 16,329 Structures Destroyed Maps California State Parks, Esri, TomTom, Garmin, FAO, NOAA, USGS, EPA, USFWS Powered by Esri, Genasys and Perimeter Legend Layers ------ - [x] Recent Perimeters - [x] Counties Search: [...] Showing 1 to 20 of 324 entries Previous 1 2 3 4 5…17 Next 3D Map The information presented here reflects what is known to CAL FIRE and is updated frequently. Learn more about data processing 327,844 Total Emergency Responses 4,195 Wildfires 201,295 Acres Burned 30 Fatalities:Preliminary pending coroner confirmation 16,329 Structures Destroyed 2025 Fire Season Outlook ------------------------ [...] Live fuels at higher elevations remained moist in early June, potentially slowing early fire spread, but both regions anticipate increasing fire potential as the season progresses and fuels continue to dry. Dry wind events, lightning, and potential heat waves are expected to be the primary triggers for large wildfires statewide.

• Incidents | CAL FIRE - CA.gov

  Information presented on the departments website is a representation of the existing wildfire situation, based on the information readily available to CAL FIRE. We make every effort to provide accurate and complete information, however the data is subject to review and change. This site provides general information concerning an incident. All of our information comes from the firelines and must be approved by the Incident Commander in charge of managing the incident prior to release. As [...] Cal FIRE # Current Emergency Incidents Ongoing emergency responses in California, including all 10+ acre wildfires. Structures Destroyed ## Layers Currently Active Incidents [...] battling a fire, or handling any other disaster is the priority, updates to these sites cannot be guaranteed on a set time schedule. Please use the information on these pages only as a reference. The sites are not meant to provide up-to-the-minute evacuation or fire behavior information. Please refer to the fire information phone numbers provided on this site, and website links for additional information, and monitor your local radio stations for emergency broadcasts. If you live in a wildland