![]() ![]() The Creek Fire expanded in the Big Creek drainage area, temporarily trapping hundreds of campers near the Mammoth Pool Reservoir. The August Complex became California's largest recorded wildfire. In early September 2020, a combination of a record-breaking heat wave and strong katabatic winds, (including the Jarbo, Diablo, and Santa Ana) caused explosive fire growth. On August 22, President Donald Trump issued a major disaster declaration (DR-4558), which provides Individual Assistance and/or Public Assistance. Response and evacuations were complicated by a historic heatwave and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. On August 18, Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency, and on August 19, 2020, reported that the state was battling 367 known fires, many sparked by intense thunderstorms on August 16–17 caused by moisture from the remnants of Tropical Storm Fausto. The intensity of the fire season has been attributed to a combination of more than a century of poor forest management and higher temperatures resulting from climate change. ![]() ![]() The fires destroyed over 10,000 structures and cost over $12.079 billion (2020 USD) in damages, including over $10 billion in property damage and $2.079 billion in fire suppression costs. California's August Complex fire has been described as the first "gigafire", burning over 1 million acres across seven counties, an area larger than the state of Rhode Island. By the end of the year, 9,917 fires had burned 4,397,809 acres (1,779,730 ha), more than 4% of the state's roughly 100 million acres of land, making 2020 the largest wildfire season recorded in California's modern history (according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection), though roughly equivalent to the pre-1800 levels which averaged around 4.4 million acres yearly and up to 12 million in peak years. The 2020 California wildfire season, part of the 2020 Western United States wildfire season, was a record-setting year of wildfires in California. An Augsatellite image of the wildfires burning in Northern California, covering a significant portion of California and nearby states. The Hayden Fire raging across the Salmon-Challis National Forest 18 miles west of Leadore, Idaho, has burned over 18,000 acres since it started on July 19 and was only 5% contained as of Monday morning, the US Forest Service said in a tweet.ĬNN’s Eli Masket, Mary Gilbert, Macie Goldfarb, Joe Sutton, Melissa Alonso, Jared Formanek and Amanda Jackson contributed to this report.Five of the twenty largest wildfires in California history were part of the 2020 wildfire season. The West Hallett Fire had already burned 200 acres with no containment by Monday night, according to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. “We are thankful for the wildland firefighters working to protect us and our community.”Įlsewhere, an additional fire ignited Monday afternoon near Spokane, Washington, and quickly sparked mandatory evacuations for at least 20 homes. “The #Oroville #BorderPatrol Station in #SpokanSector had a close call with a wildland fire that reached the outer fence of the property,” the US Border Patrol Spokane Sector said on Facebook. ![]() The fire at one point was burning close to an Oroville, Washington, border patrol station. On the Canadian side, the fire has burned over 3,500 acres, according to the British Columbia Wildfire Service.Įvacuation orders were in place Monday for 192 properties in the Canadian town of Osoyoos and areas south of the town within the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, RDOS information officer Erick Thompson said in a Monday press conference.Īnother 2,635 properties were under evacuation alerts. On the US side, the fire now spans 15,349 acres with 10% containment, according to a Tuesday morning update. Jason Bean/USA Today/Reutersįire whirls, 'pyro' clouds, and hazy skies: Extreme fire behavior is a preview of what's to come The Tamarack Fire is seen approaching Highway 88 near Woodfords in Alpine County on July 20, 2021. ![]()
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