2015 California wildfires

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2015 California wildfires
California Fires MODIS081715.jpg
Smoke from the 2015 California wildfires as seen from space, on August 18, 2015
Statistics[1]
Total fires 5,225
(As of 12 September 2015)
Total area 217,827 acres (882 km2)
(As of 12 September 2015)

The 2015 California wildfires were a series of wildfires that burned across the state of California during 2015. As of 12 September 2015, 5,225 fires had been recorded by CAL FIRE burning an area of 217,827 acres (882 km2).[1]

On September 11, with the Butte Fire exploding in Amador and Calaveras counties, Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency.[2]

Nationwide fire season[edit]

The National Interagency Fire Center reported in mid August that the fire season had been the most destructive since 2011. Nationwide, a total of 6,058,694 acres (24,519 km2) had burned, which is roughly triple the total from the same time span in 2014.[3] By the end of August, the 2015 season year to date total acreage had surpassed any in the last 10 years with 7,825,559 acres (31,669 km2) being burned.[4]

Fatalities[edit]

The season also proved to be a deadly one for firefighters battling the many blazes throughout the state. A United States Forest Service member from South Dakota died July 31 of carbon monoxide poisoning while battling the Frog Fire in the Modoc National Forest.[5] A second firefighter was killed August 8 by a falling tree while battling the Sierra Fire south of Echo Summit.[6] A 72-year-old handicapped woman was killed in her home by the fast moving Valley Fire.[7]

Fires[edit]

Name County Acres Start Date Contained Date Active? Notes Ref
Round Inyo 7,000 February 6, 2015 February 12, 2015 Contained [8]
Highway Riverside 1,049 April 18, 2015 April 24, 2015 Contained [9]
Lake San Bernardino 31,359 June 17, 2015 August 1, 2015 Contained [10]
Park Hill San Luis Obispo 1,791 June 20, 2015 June 24, 2015 Contained [11]
North San Bernardino 4,250 July 17, 2015 July 21, 2015 Contained 7 houses and 44 vehicles destroyed [12]
Rough Fresno 151,623 July 31, 2015 N/A Active (95%) [13]
Frog Lassen 4,863 July 30, 2015 August 20, 2015 Contained 1 firefighter killed [14]
Humboldt Lightning Humboldt 4,883 July 30, 2015 August 19, 2015 Contained [15]
Mad River Complex Humboldt 73,137 July 30, 2015 September 13, 2015 Contained includes Route Complex Fire [16]
Dodge Lassen 10,570 August 3, 2015 August 17, 2015 Contained [17]
Wragg Napa 8,051 July 22, 2015 August 6, 2015 Contained [18]
Rocky Lake 69,438 July 29, 2015 August 14, 2015 Contained [19]
Fork Complex Shasta 36,499 July 30, 2015 N/A Active (97%) [20]
River Complex Trinity 77,074 July 30, 2015 N/A Active (48%) [21]
Gasquet Del Norte 30,368 August 3, 2015 N/A Active (45%) Fires: Feeder (100%), Coon (100%),
Bear (52%) and Peak (10% containment)
[22]
Jerusalem Lake and Napa 25,118 August 9, 2015 August 25, 2015 Contained [23]
Cabin Glendora 1,723 August 14, 2015 N/A Active (98%) 5 structures destroyed [24]
Cuesta San Luis Obispo 2,446 August 16, 2015 August 28, 2015 Contained [25]
Tesla Alameda 2,700 August 19, 2015 August 22, 2015 Contained [26]
Butte Amador 70,868 September 9, 2015 N/A Active (95%) 2 civilians fatalities
475 residences & 343 outbuildings destroyed
[27]
Valley Lake 76,067 September 12, 2015 October 6, 2015 Contained 4 civilian fatalities, 1958 structures destroyed [28]
Tassajara Monterey 1,086 September 27, 2015 N/A Contained 1 civilian fatality [29]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "2015 Fire Statistics". CAL FIRE. Retrieved 2015-09-14. 
  2. ^ Serna, Joseph; Rocha, Veronica (September 11, 2015). "Brown declares state of emergency in 65,000-acre Gold Country fire". LA Times. Retrieved September 12, 2015. 
  3. ^ Pydynowski, Kristina (August 10, 2015). "Heart of Already Busy California Wildfire Season is Yet to Come". AccuWeather. Retrieved August 28, 2015. 
  4. ^ "Year to date totals". National Interagency Fire Center. Retrieved August 31, 2015. 
  5. ^ Locke, Cathy (August 4, 2015). "Firefighter at Frog fire died of carbon monoxide poisoning, smoke inhalation, autopsy shows". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved August 28, 2015. 
  6. ^ Rocha, Veronica (August 9, 2015). "Firefighter, 21, Is 2nd Killed Battling Northern California Wildfires". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 28, 2015. 
  7. ^ Kurtis Alexander; Kale Williams; Evan Sernoffsky (September 14, 2015). "Worry to horror: A caretaker’s desperate attempt to get help for fire victim". SF Gate. Retrieved September 16, 2015. 
  8. ^ "Round Fire". CAL FIRE. Retrieved August 2, 2015. 
  9. ^ "Highway FIre". CAL FIRE. Retrieved August 2, 2015. 
  10. ^ "Lake Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved August 6, 2015. 
  11. ^ "Park Hill Fire". CAL FIRE. Retrieved August 2, 2015. 
  12. ^ "North Fire". CAL FIRE. Retrieved August 6, 2015. 
  13. ^ "Rough Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved September 16, 2015. 
  14. ^ "Frog Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved August 28, 2015. 
  15. ^ "Humboldt Lightning Fires". CAL FIRE. Retrieved August 27, 2015. 
  16. ^ "Mad River Complex Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved September 16, 2015. 
  17. ^ "Dodge Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved August 19, 2015. 
  18. ^ "Wragg Fire". CAL FIRE. Retrieved August 2, 2015. 
  19. ^ "Rocky Fire". CAL FIRE. Retrieved August 8, 2015. 
  20. ^ "Fork Complex Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved September 11, 2015. 
  21. ^ "River Complex Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved September 16, 2015. 
  22. ^ "Gasquet Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved September 16, 2015. 
  23. ^ "Jerusalem Fire". CAL FIRE. Retrieved August 13, 2015. 
  24. ^ "Cabin Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved September 11, 2015. 
  25. ^ "Cuesta Fire". CAL FIRE. Retrieved August 31, 2015. 
  26. ^ "Tesla Fire". CALFIRE. Retrieved 14 September 2015. 
  27. ^ "Butte Fire". CAL FIRE. Retrieved September 19, 2015. 
  28. ^ "Valley Fire". CAL FIRE. Retrieved September 19, 2015. 
  29. ^ "Tassajara Fire". CAL FIRE. Retrieved 21 September 2015. 

External links[edit]