2021 California wildfires

The 2021 California wildfire season was a series of wildfires that burned across the U.S. state of California. By the end of 2021 a total of 8,835 fires were recorded, burning 2,568,948 acres (1,039,616 ha) across the state.^[1] Approximately 3,629 structures were damaged or destroyed by the wildfires, and at least seven firefighters and two civilians were injured.^[1]

2021 California wildfires
Smoke from multiple wildfires in California
Date(s)	January 14 – December 16
Statistics[1]
Total fires	8,619
Total area	2,569,009 acres (1,039,641 ha)
Impacts
Deaths	3
Non-fatal injuries	22
Structures destroyed	3,629
Damage	Unknown
Map
A map of wildfires in California in 2021, using Cal Fire data
Season
← 2020 2022 →

The wildfire season in California experienced an unusually early start amid an ongoing drought and historically low rainfall and reservoir levels.^[2] In January 2021 alone, 297 fires burned 1,171 acres (4.74 km²) on nonfederal land according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, which is almost triple the number of fires and more than 20 times the acreage of the five-year average for January.^[3][2] The January fires were exacerbated by unseasonably strong Santa Ana winds, and some of them burned in the same areas as previous fires like the CZU Lightning Complex.^[4]

The long term trend is that wildfires in the state are increasing due to climate change in California.^[5][6] The 2021 wildfire season was exceptionally severe in California, although it did not approach the extent of the previous year's wildfire season, which 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, and reduced snowpack contributing to the severity of the fires.^[7][8][9] The state also faces an increased risk of post-wildfire landslides.^[10][11]

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, and others, raged on.^[12] The USDA Forest Service temporarily closed all of California's national forests at the end of August to mitigate the impact of potential fires.^[13]

On October 18, 2021, much of the state—particularly Northern California, where the majority of the significant fires had been located—received its first major precipitation since the start of the wildfire season.^[14] This significantly lowered wildfire risk in the region.

Impact

Fire cloud produced by the Dixie Fire, which became the largest single (non-complex) wildfire in California history by August 6, 2021

Firefighters setting a prescribed fire on January 27, 2021 near Ant Canyon in Kern County

Fire retardant and smoldering brush in the Tumbleweed Fire north of Los Angeles in July 2021

PG&E and other utility companies preemptively spent billions of dollars to reduce the risk of wildfires and avoid an year similar to the previous year's fire season.^[4][15] Firefighters have also set prescribed fires to prevent other fires burning.^{[16][17][18][19]} 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".^[20][21]

A 2023 study found that these wildfires are affecting the California ecosystem and disrupting the habitats.^[22][23] It found that in the 2020 and 2021 fire seasons 58% of the area affected by wildfires occurred in those two seasons since 2012.^[22][24] These two fires destroyed 30% of the habitat of 50 species as well as 100 species that had 10% of their habitats burn. 5-14% of the species' habitats burned at a "high severity."^[22][25]

List of wildfires

The Government of California's video about COVID-19 protocols in place at wildfire evacuation centers

Aerial view from the northwest of the Tiltill Fire's smoke plume, just north of the Hetch Hetchy in Yosemite

The following is a list of fires that burned more than 1,000 acres (400 ha), or produced significant structural damage or casualties.

Name	County	Acres	Start date	Containment date	Notes	Ref
Owens	Kern	1,512	May 1	May 7	Unknown cause	[26][27][28]
Southern	San Diego	5,366	May 2	May 6	4 structures destroyed	[29][27]
Palisades	Los Angeles	1,202	May 14	May 26	Human-caused, suspected arson; 1 firefighter injured	[30]
Sargents	Monterey	1,100	May 30	June 2	Unknown cause	[31]
Sierra	San Diego	1,000	June 9	June 12		[32][33]
Willow	Monterey	2,877	June 17	July 12	Unknown cause	[34]
Mojave	San Bernardino	2,490	June 17	June 26	Caused by lightning	[35][36]
Nettle	Tulare	1,265	June 18	July 2		[37][38][39][40]
Henry	Alpine	1,320	June 24	July 27	Caused by lightning	[41]
Lava	Siskiyou	26,409	June 25	September 3	Caused by lightning; 23 structures destroyed; 1 structure damaged; 6 firefighters injured	[42][43]
Shell	Kern	1,984	June 27	July 2	Caused by a car fire	[44][45]
Tennant	Siskiyou	10,580	June 28	July 12	Unknown cause; 9 structures destroyed	[46][47]
Salt	Shasta	12,660	June 30	July 19	Caused by hot material falling off of a vehicle; 43 structures destroyed	[48][49]
East Fork	Alpine	1,136	July 1	July 11	Caused by lightning	[50][51]
Beckwourth Complex	Plumas, Lassen	105,670	July 3	September 22	Caused by lightning; includes the Dotta Fire and the Sugar Fire; 148 structures destroyed; 23 structures damaged	[52]
Tamarack	Alpine, Mono, Douglas (NV)	68,637	July 4	October 8	Caused by lightning; 25 structures destroyed; 7 structures damaged	[53][54]
Juniper	Modoc	1,011	July 5	July 13	Unknown cause	[55]
River	Mariposa, Madera	9,656	July 11	July 19	Unknown cause; 12 structures destroyed; 2 structures damaged	[56]
Dexter	Mono	2,965	July 12	July 27	Caused by lightning	[57][58]
Dixie	Butte, Lassen, Plumas, Shasta, Tehama	963,309	July 13	October 25	Caused by contact between tree and power lines; 1,329 structures destroyed; 95 structures damaged; 1 firefighter fatality; 3 firefighter injuries. Merged with the Fly Fire on July 24. Second-largest wildfire and the largest single (non-complex) wildfire in recorded California history	[59][60][61][62]
Peak	Kern	2,098	July 20	August 12	Unknown cause; 1 structure destroyed	[63]
Fly	Plumas	4,300	July 22	October 25	Unknown cause; merged with the Dixie Fire on July 24	[64]
McFarland	Shasta, Tehama, Trinity	122,653	July 29	September 16	Caused by lightning; 46 structures destroyed; 1 structure damaged; 6 firefighters injured	[65]
Monument	Trinity	223,124	July 30	October 25	Caused by lightning; 52 structures destroyed; 3 structures damaged	[66]
River Complex	Siskiyou, Trinity	199,359	July 30	October 25	Caused by lightning; 122 structures destroyed; 2 structures damaged; consists of 22 fires, of which the largest are the Haypress Fire, the Summer Fire, and the Cronan Fire	[67]
McCash	Siskiyou	94,962	July 31	October 27	Caused by lightning; 1 firefighter fatality	[68][69]
Tiltill	Tuolumne	2,323	July 31	October 15	Caused by lightning	[70]
Antelope	Siskiyou	145,632	August 1	October 15	Caused by lightning; 18 structures destroyed; 4 structures destroyed	[71]
River	Nevada, Placer	2,619	August 4	August 13	Unknown cause; 142 structures destroyed; 21 structures damaged; 4 injuries	[72]
Caldor	El Dorado, Amador, Alpine	221,835	August 15	October 21	Unknown cause; 1,003 structures destroyed; 81 structures damaged; 5 injuries	[73]
Walkers	Tulare	8,777	August 14	September 18	Caused by lightning	[74]
French	Kern	26,535	August 18	October 19	Human-caused; 49 structures destroyed; 6 structures damaged; 1 firefighter fatality	[75][76]
South	San Bernardino	819	August 25	September 1	Unknown cause; 17 structures destroyed	[77]
Chaparral	San Diego, Riverside	1,427	August 28	September 9	Unknown cause; 3 structures destroyed	[78]
Knob	Humboldt	2,421	August 29	September 12	Unknown cause	[79]
Windy	Tulare	97,528	September 9	November 15	Caused by lightning; 128 structures destroyed; 4 injuries	[80]
KNP Complex	Tulare	88,307	September 10	December 16	Caused by lightning; includes the Colony Fire and the Paradise Fire; 4 structures destroyed; 1 structure damaged	[81]
Fawn	Shasta	8,578	September 22	October 2	Suspected arson; 185 structures destroyed; 26 structures damaged; 3 injuries	[82][83]
Alisal	Santa Barbara	16,970	October 11	November 16	Unknown cause; 12 structures destroyed	[84]

Wildfires listed by month

Month Number of wildfires January 10 February 0 March 3 April 10 May 24 June 51 July 36 August 27 September 14 October 9 November 1 December 0 Source Cal Fire incidents 2021

See also

• California portal

• List of California wildfires

References

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External links

• Current fire information — California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)