By the end of 2024, a total of 8,024

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...

s burned a cumulative throughout the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. The total number of wildfires was slightly higher than the five-year average, while the total number of acres burned was lower. Wildfires destroyed a total of 1,716 structures and killed one person in the state in 2024. This season had the most burned acres since the 2021 wildfire season.

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.

Summary

By the end of spring (June 20), the total area burned by wildfires in California was nearly . This early spike in activity was primarily from wind-driven grass fires, more than 30 of which occurred on several days in mid-June with low humidity, high temperatures, and strong winds. The first and only wildfire fatality of the year in California occurred on July 8, when the Mina Fire burned a home. This makes the 2024 season have the lowest number of wildfire deaths in a season since 2013. During late July, the total area burned during the 2024 wildfire season saw significant growth due in part to long periods of hot, dry weather. These conditions allowed several fires to grow rapidly in size, such as the

Park Fire The Park Fire was an extremely large wildfire in Northern California's Butte and Tehama counties. It ignited on July 24, 2024 in an alleged act of arson in the city of Chico's Bidwell Park in Butte County. Defying initial fire suppression ef ...

, in

Butte In geomorphology, a butte ( ) is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and table (landform), tablelands. The word ''butte'' comes from the French l ...

and Tehama counties, and the Borel Fire, in

Sequoia National Forest Sequoia National Forest is located in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains of California. The U.S. National Forest is named for the majestic Giant Sequoia (''Sequoiadendron giganteum'') trees which populate 38 distinct groves within the boun ...

. By July 29, more than had burned across the state. Fire activity decreased during August, but a long period of extreme heat across the

Western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, the Western territories, and the West) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. As American settlement i ...

during early September allowed numerous wildfires across the state to grow rapidly, such as the Line Fire, the

Bridge Fire The Bridge Fire was a damaging wildfire in the Angeles National Forest in Southern California's Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. The fire began on September 8 and burned a total of before being fully contained on . The cause of the fire ...

, and the Airport Fire in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

. Later in September, fire activity again decreased due to improved fire weather. While numerous storms in Northern California significantly slowed fire activity in November and December, dry conditions and multiple rounds of

Santa Ana Winds The Santa Ana winds, occasionally referred to as the devil winds, are strong, extremely dry katabatic winds that originate inland and affect coastal Southern California and northern Baja California. They originate from cool, dry high-pressure ...

led to multiple wildfires in Southern California, such as the

Mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

and

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People and characters * Franklin (given name), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (surname), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (class), a member of a historic ...

fires.

List of wildfires

The following is a list of fires that burned more than , produced significant structural damage, or resulted in casualties. {, class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders mw-collapsible" style="text-align:center;" , + , - !scope="col", Name !scope="col", County !scope="col", Acres !scope="col", Start date !scope="col", Containment date !scope="col", Notes !scope="col" class="unsortable", , - !scope="row", School ,

Kern Kern or KERN may refer to: People * Kern (surname), includes a list of people with the name * Kern (soldier), a light infantry unit in Medieval Irish armies Places * Kern, Alaska, a ghost town in Alaska * Kern, Austria, see Sankt Marienkir ...

, , 1,479, , , , , , , , , , - !scope="row", Roberts ,

Monterey Monterey ( ; ) is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, the city occupies a land area of and recorded a population of 30,218 in the 2020 census. The city was fou ...

, , 7,030, , , , , , Burned in Camp Roberts., , , - !scope="row", Hill , Santa Barbara, , 1,383, , , , , , , , , , - !scope="row", Firebaugh , Madera , 1,300 , , , , , - !scope="row",

Corral A pen is a fenced/walled open-air enclosure for holding land animals in captivity, typically for livestock but may also be used for holding other domesticated animals such as pets that are unwanted inside buildings. The term describes types ...

, San Joaquin, , 14,168, , , , , , , Destroyed one home and injured two firefighters. Prompted highway closures and evacuation orders near Tracy., , , - !scope="row", West ,

, , 1,576, , , , , , , , , , - !scope="row", Road ,

, , 1,076, , , , , , , , , , - !scope="row", Lost ,

, , 3,281, , , , , , , , , , - ! scope="row" , Bear ,

San Luis Obispo ; ; ; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''tiłhini'') is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly halfway betwee ...

, , 1,410, , , , , , , , , , - !scope="row", Junes ,

, , 1,056, , , , , , , Destroyed one structure., , , - !scope="row",

Post Post, POST, or posting may refer to: Postal services * Mail, the postal system, especially in Commonwealth of Nations countries **An Post, the Irish national postal service **Canada Post, Canadian postal service **Deutsche Post, German postal s ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, Ventura, , 15,563, , , , , , , Began near

Gorman Gorman may refer to: People * Gorman (surname) and list of people with the surname Places Canada * Gorman, Edmonton, Alberta United States * Gorman, California * Gorman, Maryland * Gorman, North Carolina * Gorman, South Dakota * Gorman, Texas ...

, burned parallel to

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...

; caused the evacuation of ~1,200 people in nearby recreation areas. Destroyed one structure, injured one person., , , - !scope="row", Hesperia ,

San Bernardino San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...

, , 1,078, , , , , , , , , , - !scope="row", Point , Sonoma, , 1,207, , , , , , , Prompted evacuations of some 400 residents northwest of Dry Creek Valley. Caused one injury and destroyed three structures. , , , - !scope="row", Sites , Colusa, , 19,195, , , , , , , , , , - !scope="row", Aero , Calaveras, , 5,285, , , , , , , Caused evacuations in both Calaveras and Tuolumne counties, damaged one structure and destroyed three. , , , - !scope="row", Apache ,

, , 691, , , , , , , Prompted evacuations in Butte County. A firefighter was injured, and the fire destroyed 14 structures and damaged two. , , , - !scope="row", Fresno June Lightning Complex ,

Fresno Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

, , 10,616, , , , , , , Consisted of the Flash, Bolt, Hog, and other fires. Ignited by lightning. Destroyed one structure., , , - !scope="row", Basin ,

, , 14,023, , , , , , , Prompted evacuations in the Kirch Flat Campground and Balch Camp area. , , , - !scope="row", Mccain ,

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, , 1,595, , , , , , , Prompted evacuations near Jacumba and caused one civilian injury., , , - !scope="row", Thompson ,

, , , 3,789, , , , , , , Caused evacuations in parts of

Oroville Oroville may refer to: * Oroville, California, United States * Oroville, Washington, United States ;Other uses * Lake Oroville, in Butte County, California, USA * Oroville Dam, in Butte County, California, USA * Oroville Municipal Airport, in Butt ...

and Kelly Ridge. Destroyed 26 structures, damaged eight. Two people were injured. Started by arson., , , - !scope="row", Airline , San Benito, , 1,295, , , , , , Caused one injury., , , - !scope="row", Shelly , Siskiyou, , 15,520, , , , , , Eight firefighters were injured., , , - !scope="row", Olive ,

, , 1,310, , , , , , , , , - !scope="row", French , Mariposa, , 908, , , , , , Destroyed 11 structures, damaged seven, and caused four injuries., , , - !scope="row",

Lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

, Santa Barbara, , 38,664, , , , , , Destroyed four structures, damaged one, and injured seven firefighters., , , - !scope="row", North ,

Modoc Modoc may refer to: Ethnic groups *Modoc people, a Native American/First Nations people ** Modoc language ** Modoc Nation, a federally recognized tribe of Modoc * Modoc War, the last armed resistance of the Modoc people in 1873 *The "Modocs", ri ...

, , 4,685, , , , , , , , , - !scope="row", Vista ,

, , 2,936, , , , , , Caused the evacuation of the Mt. Baldy ski resort, , , - !scope="row", Mina , Mendocino, , 98, , , , , , Resulted in one fatality and destroyed two structures., , , - !scope="row", Hurricane ,

, , 12,703, , , , , , , , , - !scope="row", White ,

, , 5,562, , , , , , , , , - !scope="row", SQF Lightning Complex , Tulare, , 33,026, , , , , , Contained the Trout and Long fires. The Trout and Long fires burned within the Domeland Wilderness., , , - !scope="row", Rancho ,

, , 9,637, , , , , , , , , - !scope="row", Rim ,

Lassen Lassen is a Danish language, Danish and Norwegian language, Norwegian patronymic surname meaning "son of Lars" (equivalent of Laurentius), and thus a parallel form of the more common surname Larsen. Notable people with the surname include: * Ander ...

, , 1,025, , , , , , , , , - !scope="row", Lost Hills ,

, , 4,032, , , , , , Crossed over and shut down a portion of

near Lost Hills., , , - !scope="row", Hill ,

Humboldt Humboldt may refer to: People * Alexander von Humboldt, German natural scientist, brother of Wilhelm von Humboldt * Wilhelm von Humboldt, German linguist, philosopher, and diplomat, brother of Alexander von Humboldt Fictional characters * Hu ...

, , 7,224, , , , , , Caused 5 injuries, , , - !scope="row", Happy ,

, , 12,543, , , , , , Burned in the

Monarch Wilderness The Monarch Wilderness (also Monarch Wilderness Complex) is a federally designated wilderness area located 70 miles east of Fresno, California, in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It encompasses within both the Sequoia National Forest and the ...

and

Kings Canyon National Park Kings Canyon National Park is a national park of the United States in the southern Sierra Nevada, in Fresno and Tulare Counties, California. Originally established in 1890 as General Grant National Park, the park was greatly expanded and ren ...

. Started by lightning., , , - !scope="row", Ridge ,

, Colusa, , 2,756, , , , , , , , , - !scope="row", Eagle , Riverside, , 1,710, , , , , , , , , - !scope="row", Hawarden , Riverside, , 527, , , , , , Destroyed seven homes and damaged eighteen more in Riverside. Started by fireworks. , , , - !scope="row", Gold Complex , Plumas, , 3,007, , , , , , Comprised the Smith and Mill fires. , , , - !scope="row", Metz ,

, , 1,100, , , , , , , , , - !scope="row", Apache , Ventura, , 1,538, , , , , , , , , - !scope="row",

Borel Borel may refer to: People * Antoine Borel (1840–1915), a Swiss-born American businessman * Armand Borel (1923–2003), a Swiss mathematician * Borel (author), 18th-century French playwright * Borel (1906–1967), pseudonym of the French actor ...

, ,

, , 59,288, , , , , , Destroyed 223 structures and damaged 29. Prompted evacuations in Kern County and destroyed the historic community of

Havilah Havilah () refers to both a land and people in several books of the Bible; one is mentioned in Genesis 2:10–11, while the other is mentioned in the Generations of Noah (Genesis 10:7). In Genesis 2:10–11, Havilah is associated with the Garden ...

., , , - !scope="row",

Park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

, Tehama, , 429,603, , , , , , Fourth largest wildfire in California history. Destroyed 709 structures and damaged 54, including parts of the community of Cohasset, California. Started by arson., , , - !scope="row", ''San Clemente Island'' ,

, , 13,000, , , , , , Burned more than one-third of

San Clemente Island San Clemente Island (Tongva: ''Kinkipar''; Spanish: ''Isla de San Clemente'') is the southernmost of the Channel Islands of California. It is owned and operated by the United States Navy, and is a part of Los Angeles County. It is administer ...

, damaging electrical infrastructure for the naval base there. , , , - !scope="row",

Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 36th vice president under P ...

, Riverside,

, , 5,222, , , , , , Forced evacuations near Anza. Destroyed 23 structures and damaged three. Human caused. , , , - !scope="row",

Pedro Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for ''Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter. The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meanin ...

, Mariposa, Tuolumne, , 3,815, , , , , , Destroyed two structures., , , - !scope="row", Coffee Pot , Tulare, , 14,104, , , , , , Burned in

Sequoia National Park Sequoia National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in the southern Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada east of Visalia, California. The park was established on September 25, 1890, and toda ...

. Injured three firefighters. Started by lightning., , , - !scope="row", Edgehill ,

, , 54, , , , , , Destroyed six structures and damaged three., , , - !scope="row", Crozier ,

El Dorado El Dorado () is a mythical city of gold supposedly located somewhere in South America. The king of this city was said to be so rich that he would cover himself from head to foot in gold dust – either daily or on certain ceremonial occasions � ...

, , 1,938, , , , , , , , , - !scope="row",

Boise Boise ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Located on the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and nor ...

, Siskiyou, , 12,967, , , , , , Burned in Six Rivers and

Klamath National Forest Klamath National Forest is a United States National Forest, national forest, in the Klamath Mountains and Cascade Range, located in Siskiyou County, California, Siskiyou County in northern California, but with a tiny extension (1.5 percent of th ...

s., , , - !scope="row", Bear , Sierra, , 3,323, , , , , , , , , - !scope="row", Boone ,

, , 17,600, , , , , , Prompted evacuations in Fresno and Monterey Counties., , , - !scope="row", Chimineas ,

, , 1,200, , , , , , , , , - !scope="row", Line ,

, , 43,978, , , , , , Prompted evacuation orders in parts of

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...

and the entire community of

Running Springs Running Springs is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 5,268 at the 2020 census, up from 4,862 at the 2010 census. Running Springs is situated 17 miles west of the city of Big Bea ...

. Destroyed one structure and injured six firefighters. Started by arson., , , - !scope="row", Roblar ,

, , , 1,000, , , , , , Burned in

Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Diego County and is bordered by ...

., , , - !scope="row", Boyles ,

, , 81, , , , , , Destroyed 33 residential structures and 80 vehicles in Clearlake., , , - !scope="row",

Bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

, , 56,030, , , , , , Burned in the

Angeles National Forest The Angeles National Forest (ANF) of the United States Forest Service is located in the San Gabriel Mountains and Sierra Pelona Mountains, primarily within Los Angeles County in Southern California. The ANF manages a majority of the San Gabri ...

. Prompted evacuation orders for

Wrightwood Wrightwood is a census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California. It sits at an elevation of . The population was 4,720 at the 2020 census, up from 4,525 at the 2010 census. Wrightwood is located northeast of Los Angeles. It is o ...

and Mount Baldy Village. Destroyed 81 structures and injured eight firefighters. Cause under investigation., , , - !scope="row",

Airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

, Riverside, , 23,526, , , , , , Began in

Trabuco Canyon Trabuco Canyon (''Trabuco'', Spanish for "Blunderbuss") is a small unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains in eastern Orange County, California, and lies partly within the Cl ...

. Evacuations were along Ortega Highway and in surrounding areas. Destroyed 160 structures. Two civilians and 20 firefighters were injured. Started by equipment use., , , - !scope="row", Shoe , Shasta, , 5,124, , , , , , , Burned in Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Injured one firefighter. Human-caused., , , - !scope="row", Gabilan ,

, , 1,200, , , , , , Burned in

Fort Hunter Liggett Fort Hunter Liggett is a United States Army post in Jolon, California, in southern Monterey County, California. The fort, named in 1941 after General Hunter Liggett, is primarily used as a training facility, where activities such as field maneuv ...

., , , - !scope="row",

Horseshoe A horseshoe is a product designed to protect a horse hoof from wear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface (ground side) of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall that is anatomically akin to the human toenail, altho ...

, Inyo, , 4,537, , , , , , Began in

Inyo National Forest Inyo National Forest is a United States National Forest covering parts of the eastern Sierra Nevada of California and the White Mountains of California and Nevada. The forest hosts several superlatives, including Mount Whitney, the highest p ...

. Was declared contained on November 14 before reigniting under strong winds late November 22. Destroyed two homes and six outbuildings., , , - !scope="row",

, Ventura, , 19,904, , , , , , Destroyed 243 structures and damaged 127 near

Camarillo Camarillo ( ) is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 70,741, an increase of 5,540 from the 65,201 counted in the 2010 Census. Camarillo is named for brothers Juan and ...

. Injured five civilians and one firefighter., , , - !scope="row",

, , 4,037, , , , {{center, {{dts, 2024, 12, 18, format=md, , Destroyed 20 structures and damaged 28 in Malibu., , {{Cite web , title=Franklin Fire , url=https://app.watchduty.org/i/39411 , access-date=December 10, 2024 , website=Watch Duty {{maplink, frame=yes, frame-align=center, frame-width=500, frame-height=600, from=2024 United States wildfires.map , frame-latitude=37.3, frame-longitude=-119.2, zoom=6, text=Perimeters of 2024 California wildfires ( map data) {{clear

Gallery of maps

File:2024 Park Fire map.png,

File:2024 Line Fire map.png, Line Fire File:2024 Bridge Fire map.png,

File:2024 Airport Fire map.png, Airport Fire File:2024 Mountain Fire map.png,

Mountain Fire Mountain Fire may refer to: * Mountain Fire (2013) in Riverside County, California * Mountain Fire (2019) The Mountain Fire was a wildfire in August, 2019 in the area of Jones Valley in Shasta County, several miles east of Redding, Californi ...

References

{{reflist {{California wildfires {{2024 wildfires

California, 2024 Wildfires in California by year

Background

Summary

List of wildfires

Gallery of maps

See also

References