The Rush Fire was the largest

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 ...

of the 2012 California wildfire season. The fire, which started in

Lassen County Lassen County ( ) is a county located in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 32,730, and was estimated to be 28,340 in 2024, Its county seat and the largest city is Susanville. ...

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 ...

, eventually spread into

Washoe County Washoe County () is a county in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 486,492, making it Nevada's second-most populous county. Its county seat is Reno. Washoe County is included in the Reno, NV Metropolitan Statis ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

. The fire consumed a total of of sagebrush, of which were in California. At the time, the burn area in California made the Rush Fire the second-largest wildfire in California since 1932 (when accurate area estimates became available). In December 2017, the

Thomas Fire The Thomas Fire was a massive wildfire that affected Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, and one of multiple wildfires that ignited in Southern California in December 2017. It burned approximately before being fully contained on January 1 ...

surpassed the Rush Fire to become the second-largest wildfire in modern California history, in terms of the area burned in California. In mid-August 2018, the Ranch Fire in the

Mendocino Complex Fire The Mendocino Complex Fire was a large complex of wildfires that burned in northern California for more than three months in 2018. It consisted of two wildfires, the River Fire and Ranch Fire, which burned in Mendocino, Lake, Colusa, and ...

surpassed the total acreage of the Rush Fire in both California and Nevada. The fire destroyed important habitat for the

greater sage-grouse The greater sage-grouse (''Centrocercus urophasianus''), also known as the sagehen, is the largest grouse in North America. Its range is Sagebrush steppe, sagebrush country in the western United States and southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canad ...

, as well as a single barn. On August 30, 2012, the Rush Fire was 100% contained.

References

2012 California wildfires Wildfires in Lassen County, California August 2012 in the United States {{Wildfire-stub

See also

References