2001 California wildfires


According to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection statistics, 9,317 wildfires burned a total of in the US state of California in 2001.
The largest wildfire of the year in California was the Observation Fire in Lassen County, which burned 67,700 acres, and the most destructive was the Poe Fire in Butte County, which burned 133 structures. Cal Fire wildfire suppression costs for fires that burned within the agency's jurisdiction amounted to US$109 million. Damages for the same amounted to $87.3 million, with a total of 389 structures lost. At least two fatalities occurred, both of them on the Bell Fire in San Diego County.

Background

The timing of "fire season" in California is variable, depending on the amount of prior winter and spring precipitation, the frequency and severity of weather such as heat waves and wind events, and moisture content in vegetation. Northern California typically sees wildfire activity between late spring and early fall, peaking in the summer with hotter and drier conditions. Occasional cold frontal passages can bring wind and lightning. The timing of fire season in Southern California is similar, peaking between late spring and fall. The severity and duration of peak activity in either part of the state is modulated in part by weather events: downslope/offshore wind events can lead to critical fire weather, while onshore flow and Pacific weather systems can bring conditions that hamper wildfire growth.

Narrative

An unusually warm, dry, and windy May prompted Cal Fire to declare May 22 the beginning of fire season throughout the state, the point in the year at which the agency hires seasonal staff to be at the ready round-the-clock in California forest districts. The pattern continued through June, with fires active weeks in advance of the 'usual' beginning of fire season.
The National Interagency Fire Center declared that the country had reached National Preparedness Level 5 on August 15, 2001, with the bulk of the fires in California Oregon, and Nevada.
Cal Fire firefighting aircraft were temporarily grounded on September 11 by the ground stop order issued nationwide by the Federal Aviation Administration in response to the deadly September 11 attacks in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania. The National Interagency Fire Center eventually instructed firefighting agencies to apply for exemptions as needed, and the restriction was lifted after about three hours, when the FAA granted Cal Fire's request for exemption. The restriction affected aircraft on the Poe Fire in Butte County, among others.
All Cal Fire units were declared "off season" by December 3.

List of wildfires

The following is a list of fires that burned more than, produced significant structural damage or casualties, or were otherwise notable. It is excerpted from Cal Fire's 2001 list of large fires, and may not be complete or reflect the most recent information.
NameCountyAcresStart dateContainment dateNotesRef
ViejasSan Diego10,353Caused by smoking; destroyed 16 structures, damaged 13
JonesSiskiyou1,440Caused by debris
DevilLassen4,400Caused by equipment use
165Merced1,500Cause undetermined
JacksonAmador2,240Caused by welding; destroyed 15 structures, damaged 1
SNF-562Merced1,200
HemlockSan Bernardino1,074Caused by an escaped burn
PachecoMerced1,550Caused by a vehicle
MartisNevada14,500Caused by a campfire
WatkinsRiverside1,407Caused by arson
McLaughlinInyo2,900Caused by lightning
Hoover ComplexMariposa8,007Caused by lightning; was allowed to burn in Yosemite National Park for ecological reasons
RecheRiverside1,798Caused by a vehicle
StreamLassen3,560Caused by lightning
TroughLake, Glenn, Colusa24,970Cause undetermined; destroyed 30 structures
CowheadModoc1,670Caused by lightning
Modoc ComplexModoc5,367Caused by lightning
ShafferLassen1,100Caused by lightning
ObservationLassen67,700Caused by lightning
Blue ComplexModoc37,950Caused by lightning
GapNevada, Placer2,462Caused by human activity
CraterMono5,800Caused by lightning
BuzzModoc2,206Caused by lightning
PonderosaPlacer2,780Caused by a vehicle
CreekMariposa, Tuolumne11,095Caused by arson; destroyed 43 structures
LeonardCalaveras5,167Caused by equipment use; destroyed 22 structures
HighwayFresno4,152Caused by arson; destroyed 8 structures
North ForkMadera2,930
StarEl Dorado16,761
OregonTrinity1,680Cause undetermined; destroyed 33 structures and caused evacuations in the town of Weaverville
HyamponTrinity1,065Cause undetermined
DarbyCalaveras14,280Cause undetermined
PoeButte8,333Caused by tree into PG&E power lines, destroyed 133 structures in the Yankee Hill area
Happy Camp ComplexSiskiyou8,500Caused by lightning
StablesLos Angeles6,544
Highway 70Butte1,711Caused by arson
BellSan Diego1,204Cause undetermined; 2 fatalities