History of California Wildfires

Explore the history of California wildfires with details on the top 20 largest, most deadly, and most destructive fires, as well as interesting stats and figures.

California has a long and intense history with wildfire, with several in the past decade setting records for the largest, most deadly, and most destructive fires in the history of the United States as a whole. They have destroyed millions of acres of land, burned down hundreds of thousands of structures, and caused the deaths of humans, animals, and plants.

Perhaps worst of all, most of these wildfires were caused by human activity, which means they could have been prevented.

Knowing the history of wildfires in California is important because it helps us to prepare for what may be next. In this article, we will take you through the earliest records of fire in the state all the way up to the present day, where we take a peek into California’s possible future.

The Earliest Records of Fire in California

The earliest known wildfire in California history was the Santiago Canyon Fire of 1889. It burned around 300,000 acres in parts of Orange County, San Diego County, and Riverside County.¹ Before 2018, this was the largest wildfire in the state’s history in terms of acreage burned.

There were no records of any human lives lost during the Santiago Canyon Fire of 1889. However, farmers’ crops and thousands of sheep were reportedly destroyed.²

The wildfire, which was human-made, was preceded by a severe drought coupled with high-speed winds that further dried out the land. The conditions were just right for an intense and destructive fire.

California’s official fire records, however, do not start until 1932. The most notable fire that took place during this early part of the 20^th century was the Matilija Fire, which burned approximately 220,000 acres in Ventura County.³

Top 20 Largest California Wildfires

Below are the top 20 largest California wildfires so far.⁴

1. August Complex in Mendocino, Humboldt, Trinity, Tehama, Glenn, Lake, and Colusa counties, August 2020: 1,032,648 acres burned, 935 structures destroyed, 1 death
2. Dixie in Butte, Plumas, Lassen, Shasta, and Tehama counties, July 2021: 963,309 acres burned, 1,311 structures destroyed, 1 death
3. Mendocino Complex in Colusa, Lake, Mendocino, and Glenn counties, July 2018: 459,123 acres burned, 280 structures destroyed, 1 death
4. SCU Lightning Complex in Stanislaus, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Joaquin counties, August 2020: 396,625 acres burned, 225 structures destroyed, 0 deaths
5. Creek in Fresno and Madera counties, September 2020: 379,895 acres burned, 858 structures destroyed, 0 deaths
6. LNU Lightning Complex in Napa, Solano, Sonoma, Yolo, Lake, and Colusa counties, August 2020: 363,220 acres burned, 1,491 structures destroyed, 6 deaths
7. North Complex in Butte, Plumas, and Yuba counties, August 2020: 318,935 acres burned, 2,352 structures destroyed, 15 deaths
8. Thomas in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, December 2017: 281,893 acres burned, 1,060 structures destroyed, 2 deaths
9. Cedar in San Diego county, October 2003: 273,246 acres burned, 2,820 structures destroyed, 15 deaths
10. Rush in Lassen county, August 2012: 271,911 acres burned (in CA), 0 structures destroyed, 0 deaths
11. Rim in Tuolumne county, August 2013: 257,314 acres burned, 112 structures destroyed, 0 deaths
12. Zaca in Santa Barbara county, July 2007: 240,207 acres burned, 1 structure destroyed, 0 deaths
13. Carr in Shasta and Trinity counties, July 2018: 229,651 acres burned, 1,614 structures destroyed, 8 deaths
14. Monument in Trinity county, July 2021: 223,124 acres burned, 28 structures destroyed, 0 deaths
15. Caldor in Alpine, Amador, and El Dorado counties, August 2021: 221,835 acres burned, 1,005 structures destroyed, 1 death
16. Matilija in Ventura county, September 1932: 220,000 acres burned, 0 structures destroyed, 0 deaths
17. River Complex in Siskiyou and Trinity counties, July 2021: 199,359 acres burned, 122 structures destroyed, 0 deaths
18. Witch in San Diego county, October 2007: 197,990 acres burned, 1,650 structures destroyed, 2 deaths
19. Klamath Theater Complex in Siskiyou county, June 2008: 192,038 acres burned, 0 structures destroyed, 2 deaths
20. Marble Cone in Monterey county, July 1977: 177,866 acres burned, 0 structures destroyed, 0 deaths

Top 20 Deadliest California Wildfires

In this section, we list the top 20 deadliest wildfires in California history (as of today) reported by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE).⁵

1. Camp Fire in Butte county, November 2018: 85 deaths
2. Griffith Park in Los Angeles county, October 1933: 29 deaths
3. Tunnel-Oakland Hills in Alameda county, October 1991: 25 deaths
4. Tubbs in Napa and Sonoma counties, October 2017: 22 deaths
5. North Complex in Butte, Plumas, and Yuba counties, August 2020: 15 deaths
6. Cedar in San Diego county, October 2003: 15 deaths
7. Rattlesnake in Glenn county, July 1953: 15 deaths
8. Loop in Los Angeles county, November 1966: 12 deaths
9. Hauser Creek in San Diego county, October 1943: 11 deaths
10. Inaja in San Diego county, November 1956: 11 deaths
11. Iron Alps Complex in Trinity county, August 2008: 10 deaths
12. Redwood Valley in Mendocino county, October 2017: 9 deaths
13. Harris in San Diego county, October 2007: 8 deaths
14. Canyon in Los Angeles county, August 1968: 8 deaths
15. Carr in Shasta and Trinity counties, July 2018: 7 deaths
16. LNU Lightning Complex in Napa, Sonoma, Yolo, Stanislaus, and Lake counties, August 2020: 6 deaths
17. Atlas in Napa and Solano counties, October 2017: 6 deaths
18. Old in San Bernardino county, October 2003: 6 deaths
19. Decker in Riverside county, August 1959: 6 deaths
20. Hacienda in Los Angeles county, September 1955: 6 deaths

Top 20 Most Destructive California Wildfires

Below you will find the top 20 most destructive California wildfires in terms of structures destroyed, as reported by CAL FIRE.⁶

1. Camp Fire in Butte county, November 2018: 18,804 structures destroyed
2. Tubbs in Napa and Sonoma counties, October 2017: 5,636 structures destroyed
3. Tunnel-Oakland Hills in Alameda county, October 1991: 2,900 structures destroyed
4. Cedar in San Diego county, October 2003: 2,820 structures destroyed
5. North Complex in Butte, Plumas, and Yuba counties, August 2020: 2,352 structures destroyed
6. Valley in Lake, Napa, and Sonoma counties, September 2015: 1,958 structures destroyed
7. Witch in San Diego county, October 2007: 1,650 structures destroyed
8. Woolsey in Ventura county, November 2018: 1,643 structures destroyed
9. Carr in Shasta and Trinity counties, July 2018: 1,614 structures destroyed
10. Glass in Napa and Sonoma counties, September 2020: 1,520 structures destroyed
11. LNU Lightning Complex in Napa, Sonoma, Yolo, Stanislaus, and Lake counties, August 2020: 1,491 structures destroyed
12. CZU Lightning Complex in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties, August 2020: 1,490 structures destroyed
13. Nuns in Sonoma county, October 2017: 1,355 structures destroyed
14. Dixie in Butte, Plumas, Lassen, and Tehama counties, July 2021: 1,311 structures destroyed
15. Thomas in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, December 2017: 1,063 structures destroyed
16. Caldor in Alpine, Amador, and El Dorado counties, August 2021: 1,005 structures destroyed
17. Old in San Bernardino county, October 2003: 1,003 structures destroyed
18. Butte in Amador and Calaveras counties, September 2015: 965 structures destroyed
19. Jones in Shasta county, October 1999: 954 structures destroyed
20. August Complex in Mendocino, Humboldt, Trinity, Tehama, Glenn, Lake, and Colusa counties, August 2020: 935 structures destroyed

California Fire History: By the Numbers

In this section, we highlight California’s fire history over the last five years by summing up the state’s total number of fires and acres burned per year (with CAL FIRE and the US Forest Service’s recorded incidents combined), and other interesting facts.⁷

Number of Recorded Fires Per Year

2017: 9,280

2018: 7,948

2019: 7,148

2020: 8,648

2021: 7,396

5-Yr Average: 8,607

Number of Acres Burned Per Year 

2017: 1,548,429 acres

2018: 1,975,086 acres

2019: 277,285 acres

2020: 4,304,379 acres

2021: 2,569,386 acres

5-Yr Average: 1,618,833 acres

Fire Suppression Costs⁸

2017: $773 million

2018: $890 million

2019: $447 million

2020: $1.23 billion

2021: $1.17 billion

California Fire History: A Visual

For visual reference, an interactive map of California’s wildfire history is available here.

Where We Are Now: The Future of Fires in California

As you can see, some of California’s largest, deadliest, and most destructive wildfires have occurred within the last five years. This is due to climate change, which is a result of humans burning fossil fuels which create greenhouse gases that warm up our planet. Global warming causes both land and air to become drier than normal, thus making the perfect conditions for wildfires to ignite.⁹

Experts predict that, as climate change continues unabated, and global temperatures continue to rise, wildfire season in California will continue to burn longer and more intensely year by year.¹⁰

That is why it is more important than ever for California residents, and United States citizens in general, to stay informed about the history and nature of wildfires, and to take swift action to mitigate climate change.