Tubbs Fire
2017 wildfire in Northern California / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Tubbs Fire was a wildfire in Northern California during October 2017. At the time, the Tubbs Fire was the most destructive wildfire in California history,[7][2] burning parts of Napa, Sonoma, and Lake counties, inflicting its greatest losses in the city of Santa Rosa. Its destructiveness was surpassed only a year later by the Camp Fire of 2018.[8] The Tubbs Fire was one of more than a dozen large fires that broke out in early October 2017, which were simultaneously burning in eight Northern California counties, in what was called the "Northern California firestorm".[9] By the time of its containment on October 31, the fire was estimated to have burned 36,810 acres (149 km2);[10][11] at least 22 people were believed to have been killed in Sonoma County by the fire.[12]
Tubbs Fire Part of the 2017 North Bay wildfires | |
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Date(s) |
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Location | Sonoma County, California, Napa County, California, U.S. |
Coordinates | 38.60895°N 122.62879°W / 38.60895; -122.62879 |
Statistics[1] | |
Burned area | 36,807 acres (149 km2)[2] |
Impacts | |
Deaths | 22[2] |
Non-fatal injuries | 1 |
Structures destroyed | 5,643 structures[2][3] |
Damage | ~$1.3 billion (2017 USD)[4][5] |
Ignition | |
Cause | Failure of private electrical system[6] |
The fire started near Tubbs Lane in the rural northern part of Calistoga, in Napa County. It destroyed more than 5,643 structures,[2][3][13] half of which were homes in Santa Rosa.[14] Santa Rosa's economic loss from the Tubbs Fire was estimated at $1.2 billion (2017 USD), with five percent of the city's housing stock destroyed.[4] The Tubbs Fire also incurred an additional $100 million in fire suppression costs.[5]
After an investigation lasting over a year, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) determined that the Tubbs Fire was "caused by a private electrical system adjacent to a residential structure"[15] and that there had been no violations of the state's Public Resources Code.[16] However, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) later agreed to settle victims' claims as part of a general $13.5 billion bankruptcy plan involving liabilities from other wildfires, and also issued payments to Sonoma County and the city of Santa Rosa as part of a separate settlement with local governments.[17]