The Klamath Theater Complex Fire, also known as the Bear Wallow Complex Fire, was the largest wildfire of the
2008 California wildfire season.
The complex fire originated as 11 separate wildfires, before merging into a single massive complex fire that burned in Northern California, and lasted for over 3 months. The progenitor fires of the fire complex were all caused by
lightning
Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of an avera ...
.
As of 2018, the Klamath Theater Complex Fire was the 10th largest fire in modern California history.
The complex fire killed a total of two firefighters.
The fire
On June 20, 2008, the Blue 2 Fire was ignited by lightning near the eastern edge of
Del Norte County
), in California
, seat_type = County seat
, seat = Crescent City
, parts_type = Largest city
, parts = Crescent City
, unit_pref = US
, area_total_sq_mi = 1230
, area_land_sq_mi = 1006
, area_water_sq_mi = 223
, elevation_max_footnote ...
. On the next day, the first fires within the Siskiyou Complex Fire were ignited by lightning further east, in the western fringes of
Siskiyou County
Siskiyou County (, ) is a county in the northernmost part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,076. Its county seat is Yreka and its highest point is Mount Shasta. It falls within the Cascadia bioregion ...
.
On June 21, 2008, at 4:00 PM PDT, the Caribou Fire, the first fire in the Bear Wallow Complex Fire was sparked by lightning, to the east of the Blue 2 and Siskiyou Complex Fires, in
Klamath National Forest
Klamath National Forest is a national forest, in the Klamath Mountains and Cascade Range, located in Siskiyou County in northern California, but with a tiny extension (1.5 percent of the forest) into southern Jackson County in Oregon. The fores ...
, in
Northern California.
Soon afterward, the Anthony Milne Fire was ignited by lighting nearby, with firefighters managing the Caribou and Anthony Milne Fires together. Three other wildfires were subsequently ignited nearby, which quickly combined into the South Ukonom Complex Fire; the South Ukonom Complex Fire gradually expanded towards the other two wildfires.
On July 23, the Caribou Fire significantly expanded in size, and also ran towards the Anthony Milne Fire.
By August 8, the Caribou, Anthony Milne, and South Ukonom Complex Fires had merged, forming the Bear Wallow Complex Fire.
On August 13, to the west of the Bear Wallow Complex Fire, the Blue 2 Fire merged into the larger Siskiyou Complex Fire (which originated as 5 separate wildfires), increasing the size of the Siskiyou Complex Fire to . On September 11, the Siskiyou Complex Fire, which had grown to , merged with the Bear Wallow Complex Fire to the east, which was at , creating a massive complex fire that was renamed to the ''Klamath Theater Complex Fire''.
The Klamath Theater Complex Fire continued to expand, reaching a size of by September 22, with containment of the complex fire increasing to 75% by then.
The Klamath Theater Complex Fire was finally contained on September 30, 2008, after reaching a size of .
See also
*
Rush Fire
*
2008 California wildfires
The 2008 California wildfire season was one of the most devastating in the state of the 21st century. While 6,255 fires occurred, about two-thirds as many as in 2007, the total area burned— —far exceeded that of previous years.
By July 5, 2008 ...
*
List of California wildfires
This is a partial and incomplete list of California wildfires. California has dry, windy, and often hot weather conditions from spring through late autumn that can produce moderate to severe wildfires. Pre-1800, when the area was much more f ...
*
Slater and Devil fires
References
External links
Klamath Theater Complex Fire reports- California Fire News
{{Portal bar, California
2008 California wildfires
June 2008 events in the United States
July 2008 events in the United States
August 2008 events in the United States
September 2008 events in the United States
Wildfires in Del Norte County, California
Wildfires in Siskiyou County, California