2023 California Wildfires

According to statistics published by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), a total of 7,386 wildfires burned a total of in the U.S. state of California in 2023. This was below the state's five-year average of burned during the same period. The 2023 fire season followed the 2022 season, during which the number of fires and the resulting burned acreage were both below average. Four fatalities were reported during the 2023 fire season.

Season outlook

Climate

California saw a series of powerful atmospheric rivers between December 2022 and March 2023, which much improved drought conditions in the state and boosted the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada to more than 200% of average for the date. Some researchers noted that the resulting vegetation growth could prove dangerous if dry and warm conditions return during spring and summer, obviating the gains from early storms, but in general, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), increased precipitation reduces the risk of a worse wildfire season.

Cal Fire predicted that "critically dry fuel moisture alignments are not likely to be reached for any great length of time or over a larger area" between March and June 2023. Critical fuel moisture refers to the point at which fuel characteristics—like vegetation mortality or dryness—are favorable for large fire growth.

Timing of peak fire season

In Northern California, fire season typically peaks in the summer with increasingly warm and dry conditions and aided by occasional dry cold frontal passages that may bring winds and/or lightning. Activity usually continues until late fall brings Pacific moisture to the northern portion of the state, though northeast wind events may pose a threat. In Southern California, fire season typically peaks in late spring through early fall, when Pacific moisture recedes. Offshore wind events such as Santa Ana winds mean that large fires are possible year-round, but their frequency is most heightened in the fall, when fuels are also driest.

Preparation

In January, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the allocation of $930 million in funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act to 10 western states, including California, for fuel reduction programs and other measures to curtail wildfire risks. The allocation was reported to represent a significant increase in funding for programs like tree clearing, brush thinning and removal, and controlled burns in Southern California, whose four National Forests previously received about $1.2 million annually for those purposes.

On January 31, California senators Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla (as well as senators Steve Daines of Montana and Ron Wyden of Oregon) introduced a bill to the U.S. Senate entitled the Wildfire Emergency Act, recognizing the "threat of wildfire" as an emergency in the Western United States. The proposed bill would provide at least a quarter of a billion dollars in funding for forest restoration and wildfire resilience in 20 locations of more than each, coordinated by the Forest Service. It would also create a program at the Department of Energy to "ensure that critical facilities remain active during wildfire disruptions". Further funding would be provided for prescribed fire implementation, firefighter training, and wildfire detection.

On March 20, Vice President Kamala Harris announced $197 million in federal grants through the administration’s wildfire defense grant program. California-based authorities and organizations were slated to receive 29 grants; they include money for counties to conduct home defensible space inspections, prescribed burn training, and fuels reductions, as well as increased funding for U.S. Forest Service and Department of Interior wildfire prevention efforts.

Impacts

Casualties

While fighting the Broadway Fire near Cabazon in Riverside County on August 6, two helicopters (a Bell 407 and a Sikorsky S-64E) collided in mid-air. The Sikorsky helicopter landed safely, while all three occupants of the Bell helicopter—a contract pilot, a Cal Fire division chief, and a Cal Fire captain—were killed. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate the accident. The state of California reported four fatalities during the 2023 fire season, including three firefighters and one civilian.

List of wildfires

The following is a list of fires that have burned more than , produced significant structural damage or casualties, or otherwise been notable. Acreage and containment figures may not be up to date.

See also

* List of California wildfires
* 2023 Arizona wildfires
* 2023 New Mexico wildfires
* 2023 Oregon wildfires

References

{{California wildfires by size

California, 2023
2023
2023 wildfires in the United States
2023 meteorology