2019 California wildfires
By the end of 2019 [wildfire season|2019], according to Cal Fire and the US Forest Service, 7,148 wildfires were recorded across the U.S. state of California, totaling an estimated of of burned land. These fires caused 22 injuries, 3 fatalities, and damaged or destroyed 732 structures. The 2019 California fire season was less active than that of the two previous years, which set records for acreage, destructiveness, and deaths.
In late October, the Kincade Fire became the largest fire of the year, burning in Sonoma County by November 6.
Massive preemptive public safety power shutoff events in 2019 were controversial. Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric preemptively shut off power to 800,000 electric customers to reduce the risk of wildfires by preventing electrical arcing in high winds from their above-ground power lines. While large areas were without power for days, people in fire danger areas had trouble getting information, and life support equipment would not work without backup power.
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.Early projections
Fire behavioral experts and climatologists warned that heavy rains from months early in the year had produced an excess of vegetation that would become an abundance of dry fuel later in the year as the fire season gets underway. According to the US Forest Service and US Department of the Interior officials, early projections indicated that the fire season would possibly be worse than the year prior, stating that "if we're lucky, this year will simply be a challenging one." This assessment was written on the basis of noting that the state has recently been seeing consistently destructive fires more often than ever before.List of wildfires
The following is a list of fires that burned more than, or produced significant structural damage or casualties:| Name | County | Acres | Start date | Containment date | Notes | Ref |
| Refuge | Kern | 2,500 | 7 5 2019 | 9 5 2019 | 1 structure destroyed | |
| Boulder | San Luis Obispo | 1,127 | 5 6 2019 | 5 6 2019 | ||
| Sand | Yolo | 2,512 | 8 6 2019 | 17 6 2019 | 7 structures destroyed, 2 injuries | |
| West Butte | Sutter | 1,300 | 8 6 2019 | 10 6 2019 | ||
| McMillan | San Luis Obispo | 1,764 | 12 6 2019 | 14 6 2019 | ||
| Lonoak | Monterey | 2,546 | 25 6 2019 | 26 6 2019 | Downed PG&E power line was the cause | |
| Rock | Stanislaus | 2,422 | 25 6 2019 | 27 6 2019 | ||
| Cow | Inyo, Tulare | 1,975 | 25 7 2019 | 11.10.2019 | Caused by lightning strike | |
| Springs | Mono | 4,840 | 26 7 2019 | 7 10 2019 | Caused by lightning strike | |
| Tucker | Modoc | 14,150 | 28 7 2019 | 15 8 2019 | Unintentionally caused by vehicular traffic along California State Route 139 | |
| W-1 McDonald | Lassen | 1,020 | 8 8 2019 | 11 8 2019 | Caused by lightning strike | |
| Gaines | Mariposa | 1,300 | 16 8 2019 | 20 8 2019 | ||
| Mountain | Shasta | 600 | 22 8 2019 | 26 8 2019 | 14 buildings destroyed, 7 damaged and 3 people injured | |
| Long Valley | Lassen | 2,438 | 24 8 2019 | 27 8 2019 | ||
| R-1 Ranch | Lassen | 3,380 | 28 8 2019 | 5 9 2019 | Caused by lightning strike | |
| Tenaja | Riverside | 1,926 | 4 9 2019 | 14 9 2019 | ||
| Walker | Plumas | 54,608 | 4 9 2019 | 25 9 2019 | 9 structures destroyed | |
| Taboose | Inyo | 10,296 | 4 9 2019 | 21.11.2019 | Caused by lightning strike | |
| Lime | Siskiyou | 1,872 | 4 9 2019 | 19 9 2019 | Caused by lightning strike | |
| Middle | Trinity | 1,339 | 5 9 2019 | 5 10 2019 | Caused by lightning strike | |
| Red Bank | Tehama | 8,838 | 5 9 2019 | 13 9 2019 | Caused by lightning strike; 2 buildings destroyed | |
| South | Tehama | 5,332 | 5 9 2019 | 11.10.2019 | Caused by lightning strike | |
| Lone | Modoc | 5,737 | 5 9 2019 | 13 9 2019 | Caused by lightning strike | |
| Springs | Mono | 4,840 | 6 9 2019 | 23 9 2019 | Caused by lightning strike | |
| Briceburg | Mariposa | 5,563 | 6 10 2019 | 24.10.2019 | 1 structure destroyed | |
| Sandalwood | Riverside | 1,011 | 10.10.2019 | 14.10.2019 | Trash in a garbage truck caught fire and spread to nearby brush 74 structures destroyed, 16 structures damaged, 2 civilian fatalities | |
| Caples | El Dorado | 3,435 | 10.10.2019 | 1 11 2019 | Caused by a controlled burn that went out of control | |
| Saddleridge | Los Angeles | 8,799 | 10.10.2019 | 31.10.2019 | Unconfirmed cause, but reported that high-voltage SCE transmission line malfunctioned near point of origin 25 structures destroyed, 88 structures damaged, 1 civilian fatality, 8 firefighter injuries | |
| Kincade | Sonoma | 77,758 | 23.10.2019 | 6 11 2019 | Caused by electrical transmission lines located northeast of Geyserville owned and operated by PG&E 374 structures destroyed, 40 structures damaged, 0 reported deaths, 2 firefighters injured | |
| Tick | Los Angeles | 4,615 | 24.10.2019 | 31.10.2019 | 22 structures destroyed, 27 structures damaged | |
| Getty | Los Angeles | 745 | 28.10.2019 | 6 11 2019 | Caused by a tree branch that fell on a power line during high winds 12 homes destroyed, 5 homes damaged | |
| Easy | Ventura | 1,806 | 30.10.2019 | 2 11 2019 | Threatened the area near the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley and 3 buildings were destroyed | |
| Hillside | San Bernardino | 200 | 31.10.2019 | 14.11.2019 | 6 homes destroyed, 18 homes damaged | |
| Maria | Ventura | 9,999 | 31.10.2019 | 5 11 2019 | Brush fire broke out at around 6:15 p.m. October 31 on South Mountain in Santa Paula | |
| Ranch | Tehama | 2,534 | 3 11 2019 | 15.11.2019 | 3 injuries, acreage reduced from 3,768 due to better mapping | |
| Cave | Santa Barbara | 3,126 | 25.11.2019 | 14.12.2019 | Caused by arson, acreage reduced from 4,330 due to better mapping |