Piedmont Fire Department and Cal Fire shared the following information on Wednesday, September 23:
A Fire Weather Watch will be in effect beginning Saturday morning through a large portion of Northern California for gusty winds and low humidity, bringing critical fire weather conditions. This pattern will remain through Monday, effecting areas including but not limited to the East Bay Hills, North Bay, Sacramento Valley and Sierra Foothills. A sharp increase in temperatures is expected this weekend across most of California, bringing the milder weather we will experience today to an end.
Do you know what a Fire Weather Watch means in the forecast? Or a Red Flag Warning? A Fire Weather Watch most often precipitates a Red Flag Warning and tells you that critical fire weather is on the way. Gusty winds and low humidity are the most common reason for issuing the watches and warnings. Click here to learn more about this and what CAL FIRE does to prepare.
Since the beginning of the year, there have been well over 8,000 wildfires that have burned over 3.6 million acres in California. Since August 15, when California’s fire activity elevated, there have been 26 fatalities and over 6,600 structures destroyed.
Updates on Fires around the state:
Yesterday, firefighters gained full containment on the CZU Lightning Complex in Santa Cruz and San Mateo Counties. Crews continue to battle 26 remaining major wildfires in California. Today there are over 18,200 firefighters on the front lines. Firefighters continue to make progress on the over two dozen major wildfire, as well as the 22 new initial attack wildfires that were sparked across the State yesterday.
**CALFIRE Incidents**
LNU Lightning Complex, multiple North Bay counties (more info…)
Napa, Lake, Sonoma, Colusa, Solano, and Yolo Counties
*363,220 acres, 98% contained
*While no growth is expected, fire suppression repair work is ongoing.
SCU Lightning Complex, multiple Easy Bay counties (more info…)
Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara San Joaquin, Merced, and Stanislaus Counties
*396,624 acres, 98% contained
*While no growth is expected, fire suppression repair work is ongoing.
CZU Lightning Complex, San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties (more info…) FINAL
*86,509 acres, 100% contained
*Multiple fires
*1,490 structures destroyed
*1 fatality
**Unified Command Incidents**
Snow Fire, Riverside County (more info…)
Snow Creek Rd, west of Palm Springs
*6,254 acres, 67% contained
*Repopulation has started
*Unified Command CAL FIRE, USFS, BLM
North Complex, Plumas County (more info…)
Southwest of Susanville (Plumas National Forest)
*301,404 acres, 75% contained
*15 fatalities
*1,784 Structures destroyed
*Evacuations in place
*Includes the Bear and Claremont Fire
*CAL FIRE Team 4 is in unified command with US Forest Service IMT Team 4, Butte County Sheriff’s Office and California State Parks
Creek Fire, Fresno County (more info…)
Northeast of Shaver Lake (Sierra National Forest)
*289,695 acres, 32% contained
*Evacuations in effect
*Heavy tree mortality in the area
*855 structures destroyed
*CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 1 in unified command with USFS Great Basin Team 1
El Dorado Fire, San Bernardino County (more info…)
West of Oak Glen (San Bernardino National Forest)
*22,601 acres, 68% contained
*One fatality
*Evacuations in place
*10 structures destroyed
*California Interagency Incident Management Team 13 in unified command with CAL FIRE, Yucaipa Fire Department and San Bernardino County Fire Department
Butte/Tehama/Glenn (BTU/TGU) Lightning Complex, multiple Counties(more info…)
Butte, Tehama, and Glenn Counties
*19,609 acres, 97% contained
*14 structures destroyed
*While no growth is expected, fire suppression repair work is ongoing.
SQF Complex, Tulare County (more info…)
25 miles north of Kernville (Sequoia National Forest)
*144,708 acres, 33% contained
*Castle and Shotgun Fires merged into this complex
*CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 6 in unified command with USFS Team 2
**Coordinated Command Incidents**
August Complex, Tehama County (more info…)
Elk Creek and Stonyford area (Mendocino National Forest)
*859,966 acres
*South Zone 487,221 acres, 50% contained
*North Zone 269,117 acres, 35% contained
*West Zone 103,628 acres, 45% contained
*1 fatality
*Includes multiple fires including the Elkhorn, Hopkins, Willow, Vinegar, and Doe fires
*A California Interagency Incident Management Team and Great Basin Team in command
*CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 3 & 5 are deployed on the West Zone of the complex
**Federal Incidents**
Fox Fire, Siskiyou County (more info…)
*2,188 acres, 43% contained
*Evacuations in place
Slater Fire, Siskiyou County (more info…)
5 miles North of Happy Camp (Klamath National Forest)
*150,856 acres, 24% contained
*2 fatalities
*Evacuation orders in place
Devil Fire, Siskiyou County (more info…)
5 miles north of Upper Devil’s Peak (Klamath National Forest)
*7,784 acres, 18% contained
Bobcat Fire, Los Angeles County (more info…)
North of Duarte (Angeles National Forest)
*113,307 acres, 38% containment
*Evacuations in place
*Unified command with the US Forest Service, Los Angeles County Fire Department and Monrovia Fire Department
Dolan Fire, Monterey County (more info…)
Hwy 1, 10 miles south of Big Sur (Los Padres National Forest)
*128,417 acres, 46% contained
*Structures threatened
*California Interagency Incident Command Team 15 assuming command today
Bullfrog Fire, Fresno County (more info…)
SE of Bullfrog Lake (Sierra National Forest)
*900 acres, 20% contained
Fork Fire, El Dorado County, (more info…)
15 miles northeast of Pollock Pines (El Dorado National Forest)
*1,667 acres, 70% contained
Valley Fire, San Diego County (more info…)
Near Alpine (Cleveland National Forest)
*17,093 acres, 95% contained
Lake Fire, Los Angeles County (more info…)
Southwest of Lake Hughes
Angeles National Forest / Los Angeles County Fire Department
* 31,089 acres, 96% contained
Apple Fire, Riverside County (more info…)
Oak Glen/Cherry Valley (San Bernardino National Forest)
*33,424 acres, 95% contained
Red Salmon Complex – Humboldt County (more info…)
14 miles northeast of Willow Creek (Shasta-Trinity National Forest)
*104,667 acres, 29% contained
Blue Jay Fire, Mariposa County (more info…)
Yosemite National Park Wilderness
*4,061 acres, 40% contained
Wolf Fire, Tuolumne County (more info…)
Yosemite National Park Wilderness
*900 acres, 25% contained
Woodward Fire, Marin County (more info…)
3 miles southwest of Olema (Point Reyes National Seashore)
*4,929 acres, 97% contained
Slink Fire, Mono County (more info…)
2 miles west of Coleville (Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest)
*26,752 acres, 84% contained
Moraine, Tulare County (more info…)
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Wilderness
*575 acres, 70% contained
Rattlesnake, Tulare County (more info…)
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Wilderness
*2,078 acres, 0% contained
Top 20 Wildfire Records
- 5 of the Top 20 largest wildfires in California History have occurred in 2020.
- Largest Wildfires – #1 August Complex, #3 SCU Lightning Complex, #4 LNU Lightning Complex, #5 North Complex, and #6 Creek Fire.
- Most Destructive – #6 North Complex, #10 LNU Lightning Complex, #11 CZU Lightning Complex, , and #17 Creek Fire.
- Deadliest Wildfires – #5 North Complex and #20 LNU Lightning Complex