2021 California wildfires


By the end of 2021, a total of 7,396 wildfires burned across the U.S. state of California. Approximately 3,629 structures were damaged or destroyed by the wildfires, and three firefighters died during the wildfire season.
The wildfire season in California experienced an unusually early start amid an ongoing drought and historically low rainfall and reservoir levels. In January 2021 alone, 297 fires burned on nonfederal land according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, which is almost triple the number of fires and more than 20 times the acreage of the five-year average for January. The January fires were exacerbated by unseasonably strong Santa Ana winds, and some of them burned in the same areas as previous fires like the CZU Lightning Complex.
The long term trend is that wildfires in the state are increasing due to climate change in California. The 2021 wildfire season was exceptionally severe in California, although it did not approach the extent of the previous year's wildfire season, which was the largest season in the state's recorded history. As of July 11, more than three times as many acres have burned compared to the previous year through that date, with drought, extreme heat, and reduced snowpack contributing to the severity of the fires. The state also faces an increased risk of post-wildfire landslides.
As of August 18, 2021, the state of California was facing "unprecedented fire conditions" as multiple fires including the Dixie Fire, McFarland Fire, Caldor Fire, and others, raged on. The USDA Forest Service temporarily closed all of California's national forests at the end of August to mitigate the impact of potential fires.
On October 18, 2021, much of the state—particularly Northern California, where the majority of the significant fires had been located—received its first major precipitation since the start of the wildfire season. This significantly lowered wildfire risk in the region.

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.

Impact

PG&E and other utility companies preemptively spent billions of dollars to reduce the risk of wildfires and avoid an year similar to the previous year's fire season. Firefighters have also set prescribed fires to prevent other fires burning. During evacuations from the Lava Fire, an illegal marijuana farmer was shot and killed by police after brandishing a firearm at authorities, while "defending his farm".
A 2023 study found that these wildfires are affecting the California ecosystem and disrupting the habitats. It found that in the 2020 and 2021 fire seasons 58% of the area affected by wildfires occurred in those two seasons since 2012. These two fires destroyed 30% of the habitat of 50 species as well as 100 species that had 10% of their habitats burn. 5-14% of the species' habitats burned at a "high severity."

List of wildfires

The following is a list of fires that burned more than, or produced significant structural damage or casualties.
NameCountyAcresStart dateContainment dateNotesRef
OwensKern1,5121 5 20217 5 2021Unknown cause
SouthernSan Diego5,3662 5 20216 5 20214 structures destroyed
PalisadesLos Angeles1,20214 5 202126 5 2021Human-caused, suspected arson; 1 firefighter injured
SargentsMonterey1,10030 5 20212 6 2021Unknown cause
SierraSan Diego1,0009 6 202112 6 2021
WillowMonterey2,87717 6 202112 7 2021Unknown cause
MojaveSan Bernardino2,49017 6 202126 6 2021Caused by lightning
NettleTulare1,26518 6 20212 7 2021
HenryAlpine1,32024 6 202127 7 2021Caused by lightning
LavaSiskiyou26,40925 6 20213 9 2021Caused by lightning; 23 structures destroyed; 1 structure damaged; 6 firefighters injured
ShellKern1,98427 6 20212 7 2021Caused by a car fire
TennantSiskiyou10,58028 6 202112 7 2021Unknown cause; 9 structures destroyed
SaltShasta12,66030 6 202119 7 2021Caused by hot material falling off of a vehicle; 43 structures destroyed
East ForkAlpine1,1361 7 202111 7 2021Caused by lightning
Beckwourth ComplexPlumas, Lassen105,6703 7 202122 9 2021Caused by lightning; includes the Dotta Fire and the Sugar Fire; 148 structures destroyed; 23 structures damaged
TamarackAlpine, Mono, Douglas (NV)68,6374 7 20218 10 2021Caused by lightning; 25 structures destroyed; 7 structures damaged
JuniperModoc1,0115 7 202113 7 2021Unknown cause
RiverMariposa, Madera9,65611 7 202119 7 2021Unknown cause; 12 structures destroyed; 2 structures damaged
DexterMono2,96512 7 202127 7 2021Caused by lightning
DixieButte, Lassen, Plumas, Shasta, Tehama963,30913 7 202125.10.2021Caused by contact between tree and power lines; 1,329 structures destroyed; 95 structures damaged; 1 firefighter fatality; 3 firefighter injuries. Merged with the Fly Fire on July 24. Second-largest wildfire and the largest single wildfire in recorded California history
PeakKern2,09820 7 202112 8 2021Unknown cause; 1 structure destroyed
FlyPlumas4,30022 7 202125.10.2021Unknown cause; merged with the Dixie Fire on July 24
McFarlandShasta, Tehama, Trinity122,65329 7 202116 9 2021Caused by lightning; 46 structures destroyed; 1 structure damaged; 6 firefighters injured
MonumentTrinity223,12430 7 202125.10.2021Caused by lightning; 52 structures destroyed; 3 structures damaged
River ComplexSiskiyou, Trinity199,35930 7 202125.10.2021Caused by lightning; 122 structures destroyed; 2 structures damaged; consists of 22 fires, of which the largest are the Haypress Fire, the Summer Fire, and the Cronan Fire
McCashSiskiyou94,96231 7 202127.10.2021Caused by lightning; 1 firefighter fatality
TiltillTuolumne2,32331 7 202115.10.2021Caused by lightning
AntelopeSiskiyou145,6321 8 202115.10.2021Caused by lightning; 18 structures destroyed; 4 structures destroyed
RiverNevada, Placer2,6194 8 202113 8 2021Unknown cause; 142 structures destroyed; 21 structures damaged; 4 injuries
CaldorEl Dorado, Amador, Alpine221,83515 8 202121.10.2021Unknown cause; 1,003 structures destroyed; 81 structures damaged; 5 injuries
WalkersTulare8,77714 8 202118 9 2021Caused by lightning
FrenchKern26,53518 8 202119.10.2021Human-caused; 49 structures destroyed; 6 structures damaged; 1 firefighter fatality
SouthSan Bernardino81925 8 20211 9 2021Unknown cause; 17 structures destroyed
ChaparralSan Diego, Riverside1,42728 8 20219 9 2021Unknown cause; 3 structures destroyed
KnobHumboldt2,42129 8 202112 9 2021Unknown cause
WindyTulare97,5289 9 202115.11.2021Caused by lightning; 128 structures destroyed; 4 injuries
KNP ComplexTulare88,30710 9 202116.12.2021Caused by lightning; includes the Colony Fire and the Paradise Fire; 4 structures destroyed; 1 structure damaged
FawnShasta8,57822 9 20212 10 2021Suspected arson; 185 structures destroyed; 26 structures damaged; 3 injuries
AlisalSanta Barbara16,97011.10.202116.11.2021Unknown cause; 12 structures destroyed

Wildfires listed by month

MonthNumber of wildfires
January10
February0
March3
April10
May24
June51
July36
August27
September14
October9
November1
December0
SourceCal Fire incidents 2021