2018 California wildfires
The 2018 wildfire season was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire season ever recorded in California, with a total of 8,527 fires burning an area of, the largest area of burned acreage recorded in a fire season, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the National Interagency Fire Center, as of December 21. Through the end of August 2018, Cal Fire alone spent $432 million on operations. As of May 2019, insurance claims related to this fire season had reached $12 billion, most related to the Camp Fire, in Butte County.
In mid-July to August 2018, a series of large wildfires erupted across California, mostly in the northern part of the state, including the destructive Carr Fire and the Mendocino Complex Fire. On August 4, 2018, a national disaster was declared in Northern California, due to the extensive wildfires burning there.
In November 2018, strong winds aggravated conditions in another round of large, destructive fires that occurred across the state. This new batch of wildfires included the Woolsey Fire and the Camp Fire, which killed at least 85 people with 2 still unaccounted for as of 17 February 2019. It destroyed more than 18,000 structures, becoming both California's deadliest and most destructive wildfire on record.
The Firestone fire caused more than $3.5 billion in damages, including $1.792 billion in fire suppression costs. The Mendocino Complex Fire burned more than, becoming the largest complex fire in the state's history, with the complex's Ranch Fire surpassing the Thomas Fire and the Santiago Canyon Fire of 1889 to become California's single-largest recorded wildfire.
Causes
Many different factors led to the 2018 California wildfire season becoming so destructive. A combination of an increased amount of natural fuel and compounding atmospheric conditions linked to global warming led to a series of destructive fires. Recent research on wildfires in California, published in August 2018, predicted an increase in the number of wildfires as a consequence of climate change.Increase in fuel
A direct contributor to the 2018 California wildfires was an increase in dead tree fuel. By December 2017, there was a record 129 million dead trees in California.Atmospheric conditions
Professor Noah Diffenbaugh stated that atmospheric conditions for California wildfires are expected to worsen in the future because of the effects of climate change in California and that "what we're seeing over the last few years in terms of the wildfire season in California very consistent with the historical trends in terms of increasing temperatures, increasing dryness, and increasing wildfire risk." Other experts agreed, saying that global warming is to blame for these extreme weather conditions. Global warming led to higher temperatures and less rain, creating a drier landscape that gave fires more fuel to burn longer and stronger.Residential construction in the wildland-urban interface
A wildland–urban interface refers to the zone of transition between unoccupied land and human development. Communities that are within 0.5 miles of the zone may also be included. These lands and communities adjacent to and surrounded by wildlands are at risk of wildfires. Since the 1990s, over 43% of new residential buildings have been constructed in this area. In some areas, the amount of new residences in those areas is 80%. In the past, when these areas burned, no residences were lost, but now residences are present, which end up being destroyed.Air quality
Northern California and the Central Valley saw drastic increases in air pollutants during the height of the July and August fires, while Southern California also experienced an increase in air pollution in August. Air quality in Northern and Central California remained poor until mid-September 2018, when fire activity was drastically diminished. However, during the November Camp Fire, air quality diminished again, with the majority of the Bay Area being subjected to air quality indexes of 200 and above, in the "unhealthy" region.Wildfires
The following is a list of fires that burned more than, or produced significant structural damage or loss of life.| Name | County | Acres | Start date | Containment date | Notes | Ref |
| Pleasant | Inyo | 2,070 | February 18, 2018 | April 3, 2018 | First significant wildfire of the year | |
| Moffat | Inyo | 1,265 | April 19, 2018 | May 21, 2018 | ||
| Nees | Merced | 1,756 | May 2, 2018 | May 17, 2018 | ||
| Patterson | Riverside | 1,261 | May 17, 2018 | May 21, 2018 | ||
| Panoche | San Benito | 64 | June 4, 2018 | June 7, 2018 | 3 civilians killed | |
| Stone | Los Angeles | 1,352 | June 4, 2018 | June 13, 2018 | ||
| Airline | San Benito | 1,314 | June 4, 2018 | June 14, 2018 | ||
| Apple | Tehama | 2,956 | June 9, 2018 | June 14, 2018 | 3 residential structures and 2 outbuildings destroyed | |
| Chrome | Glenn | 2,29FatalitiesOn June 4, the Panoche Fire broke out, in a series of three blazes that started in the San Benito County area. While the Panoche incident was the smallest of the three fires, burning only, the remains of three people were found in a destroyed camping trailer in the burn area. The remains were believed to belong to a mother, a toddler, and an infant.On July 14, a Cal Fire bulldozer operator was killed while fighting the Ferguson Fire, becoming the first firefighter death of the season. On July 23, the Carr Fire broke out after a vehicle malfunctioned. While the Carr Fire burned in rural areas of Shasta County for the first few days, it crossed the Sacramento River and entered the city limits of Redding, California on the evening of July 26. By the next morning, two firefighters and four civilians had been killed. On July 29, a firefighter with the National Park Service was killed after a dead tree fell and struck him, while he was fighting the Ferguson Fire. He was "treated on scene, but died before he could be taken to the hospital". On August 4, a Pacific Gas and Electric Company employee was killed in a vehicle incident while working to restore services to areas impacted by the Carr Fire. On August 9, a Cal Fire heavy equipment mechanic was killed in a traffic incident while working at the Carr Fire. On August 13, a firefighter was killed while fighting the Mendocino Complex Fire. On November 8, 2018, at least 88 civilians were killed by the Camp Fire, while three firefighters were injured, the fire also destroyed more than 10,321 structures, becoming the deadliest and most destructive fire in California history. Three people also died during the Woolsey Fire near Malibu. The number dead was lowered to 85 by early December when it was discovered one victim was put in several bags. Response effortsDirect Relief provided emergency, firefighting and medical supplies medications to first responders and affected communities.Verizon Wireless data throttlingThe Santa Clara County Fire Department raised claims against Verizon Wireless that their "unlimited" data service had been throttled while the fire department was attempting to contain the Mendocino Complex Fire. The Verizon contract stated that the department's plan would be throttled down to 200 kbit/s or 600 kbit/s once the department had used 25 GB in a single month. However, the contract stated that the usage related throttling would not apply in certain emergency situations, such as wildfire containment operations. The plan remained throttled, despite the department's notification to Verizon regarding the situation.Gallery |