2003 California wildfires

During 2003, 9,116 wildfires burned across the US state of California. In October, a major wildfire outbreak in Southern California burned more than 750,000 acres, destroyed thousands of homes, and killed two dozen people. Many of the victims were killed in their cars while trying to flee.

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.

List of wildfires

Below is a list of fires that exceeded during the 2003 fire season. The list is taken from CAL FIRE's list of large fires.

Name	County	Acres	Km	Start date	Contained Date	Notes
Local	Riverside		February 23, 2003	February 23, 2003		-
Delima	Tulare		May 3, 2003	May 3, 2003		-
Bird	San Joaquin		June 1, 2003	June 1, 2003		-
Tejon	Kern		June 29, 2003	June 2, 2003	2 structures destroyed	-
Parkhill	San Luis Obispo		July 20, 2003	July 22, 2003	18 structures destroyed	-
Kibbie Complex	Tuolumne		July 20, 2003	October 2, 2003		-
Coyote	San Diego		July 16, 2003	July 26, 2003	2 structures destroyed	-
Locust	Riverside		August 18, 2003	August 20, 2003	1 structure destroyed	-
Canoe	Humboldt		September 3, 2003	October 15, 2003	2 structures damaged	-
Pass	Riverside		October 21, 2003	October 23, 2003	3 structures destroyed	-
Grand Prix	San Bernardino		October 21, 2003	November 5, 2003	136 structures destroyed	-
Piru	Ventura		October 23, 2003	November 14, 2003	8 structures destroyed	-
Verdale	Los Angeles		October 24, 2003	October 24, 2003	1 structure destroyed	-
Simi	Ventura		October 25, 2003	November 5, 2003	300 structures destroyed, 21 injuries	-
Cedar	San Diego		October 25, 2003	December 5, 2003	2,820 structures destroyed, 15 fatalities	-
Old	San Bernardino		October 25, 2003	November 14, 2003	1,003 structures destroyed, 6 fatalities	-
Otay	San Diego		October 26, 2003	October 27, 2003	1 residential structure and 5 outbuildings destroyed, 1 firefighter injured	-
Mine	San Diego		October 26, 2003	October 28, 2003		-
Mountain	Riverside		October 26, 2003	October 29, 2003	61 structures destroyed	-
Paradise	San Diego		October 26, 2003	November 6, 2003	223 structures destroyed, 2 fatalities	-
Whitmore	Shasta		October 27, 2003	October 30, 2003		-