2018 California wildfires
The 2018 wildfire season was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire season in the world. It was also the largest on record at the time, now third after the 2020 and 2021 California wildfire seasons. In 2018, there were a total of 103 confirmed fatalities, 24,226 structures damaged or destroyed, and 8,527 fires burning, about 2% of the state's 100 million acres of land. Through the end of August 2018, Cal Fire alone spent $432 million on operations. The catastrophic Camp Fire alone killed at least 85 people, destroyed 18,804 buildings and caused $16.5 billion in property damage, while overall the fires resulted in at least $26.347 billion in property damage and firefighting costs, including $25.4 billion in property damage and $947 million in fire suppression costs.
In mid-July to August 2018, a series of large wildfires erupted across California, mostly in the northern part of the state. On August 4, 2018, a national disaster was declared in Northern California, due to the extensive wildfires burning there.
The Carr Fire in July and August 2018 caused more than $1.5 billion in property damage. The Mendocino Complex Fire burned more than, becoming the largest complex fire in the state's history at the time, 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. In September 2020, the August Complex surpassed the Mendocino Complex to become California's single-largest recorded wildfire.
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. The Camp Fire destroyed the town of Paradise and killed at least 85 people, with 1 still unaccounted for as of August 2, 2019. The Camp Fire destroyed more than 18,000 structures, becoming both California's deadliest and most destructive wildfire on record. AccuWeather estimated the total economic cost of the 2018 wildfires at $400 billion, which includes property damage, firefighting costs, direct and indirect economic losses, as well as recovery expenditures. Another study, published two years after the fires, estimated the total damages at $148.5 billion, including capital losses, health costs and indirect losses.
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.Causes
Several factors led to the destructiveness of the 2018 California wildfire season. A combination of increased fuel loading and atmospheric conditions influenced by global warming led to a series of destructive fires. Primary causes of wildfire vary geographically based on many factors, such as topography. For example, characteristically dense forests in the Sierra Nevada Mountains harbor fuel-driven fires while the open central valley from the south Bay Area to San Diego County are more prone to wind-driven fire over dry grasslands.Increase in fuel
A direct contributor to the 2018 California wildfires was an increase in dead tree fuel. By December 2017, there were a record 129 million dead trees in California. Tree mortality is linked to a period during the 2010s of "anomalously warm droughts" that were severe and long-lasting enough to stand out even amongst California's existing history of wildfires and exceptionally dry conditions. One study focused on the concentrated mortality of densely populated conifers of the Sierra Nevada "found that die-off was closely tied to multi-year deep-rooting-zone drying" and that severity of that dryness can be used to predict mortality. Such drought leaves trees stressed for water, which makes them susceptible to beetle infestation and exacerbates tree mortality further.Drought intensity lessened in California by 2017, but the effects of tree mortality linger for years. One study expresses a lack of sufficient data to confidently determine the rate of coniferous tree decay in the Sierra Nevada. Nonetheless, it is a gradual process, and the remaining dead tree matter is an optimal fuel source for future wild fires.
Atmospheric conditions
Stanford Earth System Science 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 has led to higher temperatures and longer summers, creating a drier landscape that gave fires more fuel to burn longer and stronger. Research published August 2018 predicted an increase in the number of wildfires in California as a consequence of climate change. However, from a historical perspective, it has been estimated that prior to 1850, about 4.5 million acres burned yearly, in fires that lasted for months.Residential construction in the wildland–urban interface
The 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. Furthermore, a "century of successful fire suppression" performed in an attempt to protect forests and those living in the WUI has also disrupted natural cycles of disturbance and renewed succession of an ecosystem by allowing fuel to reach abnormal density levels discussed above.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.List of 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 | 2,290 | June 9, 2018 | June 21, 2018 | 1 outbuilding destroyed | |
| Lions | Madera | 13,347 | June 11, 2018 | October 1, 2018 | ||
| Planada | Merced | 4,564 | June 15, 2018 | June 21, 2018 | ||
| Yankee | San Luis Obispo | 1,500 | June 20, 2018 | July 1, 2018 | ||
| Lane | Tehama | 3,716 | June 23, 2018 | July 4, 2018 | 1 injury | |
| Pawnee | Lake | 15,185 | June 23, 2018 | July 8, 2018 | 22 structures destroyed, 1 injury | |
| Creek | Madera | 1,678 | June 24, 2018 | July 5, 2018 | 4 residential structures and 7 minor structures destroyed | |
| Waverly | San Joaquin | 12,300 | June 29, 2018 | July 2, 2018 | ||
| County | Lake, Napa, Yolo | 90,288 | June 30, 2018 | July 14, 2018 | 20 structures destroyed; 1 firefighter injured | |
| Klamathon | Siskiyou | 38,008 | July 5, 2018 | July 16, 2018 | 82 structures destroyed; 3 injuries, 1 civilian killed | |
| Valley | San Bernardino | 1,350 | July 6, 2018 | October 22, 2018 | 5 injured | |
| Holiday | Santa Barbara | 113 | July 6, 2018 | July 11, 2018 | 20 structures destroyed | |
| Pendleton Complex | San Diego | 1,800 | July 6, 2018 | July 11, 2018 | Originated as 3 separate fires; burned in Camp Pendleton | |
| West | San Diego | 504 | July 6, 2018 | July 11, 2018 | 56 structures destroyed | |
| Georges | Inyo | 2,883 | July 8, 2018 | July 18, 2018 | This was about the time that the wildfire outbreak started and some of the worst wildfires of the season, including the Carr and Mendocino Complex, aka the Ranch Fire/River Fire, began. | |
| Ferguson | Mariposa | 96,901 | July 13, 2018 | August 18, 2018 | 19 firefighters injured, 2 firefighters killed; 10 structures destroyed | |
| Eagle | Modoc | 2,100 | July 13, 2018 | July 17, 2018 | ||
| Natchez | Del Norte, Siskiyou | 38,134 | July 15, 2018 | October 30, 2018 | ||
| Carr | Shasta | 229,651 | July 23, 2018 | August 30, 2018 | 1,079 residences, 22 commercial structures, 503 outbuildings destroyed 190 residences, 26 commercial structures, and 63 outbuildings damaged 3 firefighters and 5 civilians killed | |
| Cranston | Riverside | 13,139 | July 26, 2018 | August 10, 2018 | 12 buildings destroyed | |
| Mendocino Complex | Mendocino, Lake, Colusa, Glenn | 459,123 | July 27, 2018 | September 18, 2018 | The Ranch and River Fires are collectively called the Mendocino Complex Fire 157 residential buildings destroyed, 123 others destroyed 13 residential buildings and 24 other buildings damaged 1 firefighter killed, 4 firefighters injured | |
| Whaleback | Lassen | 18,703 | July 27, 2018 | August 7, 2018 | ||
| Butte | Sutter | 1,200 | July 31, 2018 | August 3, 2018 | ||
| Donnell | Tuolumne | 36,450 | August 1, 2018 | October 1, 2018 | 135 structures destroyed; 9 civilians injured | |
| Tarina | Kern | 2,950 | August 3, 2018 | August 6, 2018 | ||
| Pendleton | San Diego | 1,000 | August 5, 2018 | August 6, 2018 | Burned in Camp Pendleton | |
| Turkey | Monterey | 2,225 | August 6, 2018 | August 6, 2018 | ||
| Holy | Orange, Riverside | 23,136 | August 6, 2018 | September 13, 2018 | 18 structures destroyed; 3 firefighters injured | |
| Five | Kings | 2,995 | August 6, 2018 | August 8, 2018 | ||
| Hirz | Shasta | 46,150 | August 9, 2018 | September 12, 2018 | ||
| Hat | Shasta | 1,900 | August 9, 2018 | August 16, 2018 | ||
| Nelson | Solano | 2,162 | August 10, 2018 | August 12, 2018 | ||
| Stone | Modoc | 39,387 | August 15, 2018 | August 29, 2018 | ||
| Mill Creek 1 | Humboldt | 3,674 | August 16, 2018 | August 30, 2018 | ||
| Front | San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara | 1,014 | August 19, 2018 | August 29, 2018 | ||
| North | Placer | 1,120 | September 3, 2018 | September 16, 2018 | ||
| Boot | Mono | 6,974 | September 4, 2018 | September 15, 2018 | ||
| Kerlin | Trinity | 1,751 | September 4, 2018 | September 17, 2018 | ||
| Delta | Shasta | 63,311 | September 5, 2018 | October 7, 2018 | Merged into the Hirz Fire; 20 structures destroyed | |
| Snell | Napa | 2,490 | September 8, 2018 | September 15, 2018 | ||
| Charlie | Los Angeles | 3,380 | September 22, 2018 | October 1, 2018 | ||
| Alder | Tulare | 4,653 | October 4, 2018 | December 7, 2018 | Both of the Alder and Eden Fires, along with the Mountaineer, were the last fires to be put out. All three were 100% contained by the end of December 7. | |
| Eden | Tulare | 1,777 | October 4, 2018 | December 7, 2018 | Both of the Alder and Eden Fires, along with the Mountaineer, were the last fires to be put out. All three were 100% contained by the end of December 7. | |
| Branscombe | Solano | 4,700 | October 7, 2018 | November 9, 2018 | 4 structures destroyed | |
| Sun | Tehama | 3,889 | October 7, 2018 | October 12, 2018 | ||
| Mountaineer | Tulare | 1,270 | October 13, 2018 | December 7, 2018 | This fire, along with the Alder and Eden fires, were the last fires to be put out, marking the end of the fire season. | |
| Camp | Butte | 153,336 | November 8, 2018 | November 25, 2018 | 5 firefighters injured, 85 civilian deaths, 12 civilians injured, 1 civilian missing; 18,804 structures destroyed, 564 structures damaged; destroyed the town of Paradise. Costliest wildfire recorded in the modern era, along with being the most deadly and destructive. | |
| Nurse | Solano | 1,500 | November 8, 2018 | November 27, 2018 | ||
| Hill | Ventura | 4,531 | November 8, 2018 | November 15, 2018 | 4 structures destroyed | |
| Woolsey | Los Angeles, Ventura | 96,949 | November 8, 2018 | November 22, 2018 | 3 civilians killed, 1,643 structures destroyed, 364 damaged |
Fatalities
On 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, 85 civilians were killed by the Camp Fire, while three firefighters were injured. The number dead had been listed at 87, lowered to 85 by early December when it was discovered one victim was put in several bags. Three people also died during the Woolsey Fire near Malibu.