Firefighters watch as the Bridge Fire burns near homes in Wrightwood, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP/Jae C. Hong)
- California has burned over 1 million acres this year, tripling the acreage from the last year, according to CalFire's incident archive.
- A total of 6,693 wildfires have occurred, destroying 1,437 structures and resulting in 109 arson arrests amid widespread devastation.
- The Park Fire, the largest blaze, consumed 429,603 acres and is now 100% contained, exceeding last year's total burned acreage.
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California has seen 1,005,564 acres burn across the state this year as of Tuesday — triple the acreage in 2022 and 2023 each, according to CalFire.
A total of 6,693 wildfires have ignited, resulting in the destruction of 1,437 structures, with 271 more sustaining damage. Additionally, there have been 109 arrests of arson suspects.
Jesse Torres, CalFire Battalion Chief, said Tuesday, “In our stats, that does include not only CalFire incidents but our U.S. Forest Service agency jurisdiction areas and also our local fire departments.”
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Emergency response teams have mobilized a total of 466,735 resources, including dozers, helicopters, and other equipment, to fight the blazes. Despite the widespread devastation, there has been only one reported civilian casualty.
The largest blaze, the Park Fire, has raged since July 24, scorching 429,603 acres in Butte and Tehama counties and is now 100% contained. The total acreage burned in California in 2023 was 332,822 acres, which the Park Fire exceeded by nearly 100,000 acres alone, officials said.
In 2023, the acreage burned in California was similar to 2022, with 331,358 acres burned that year. Those figures are much lower than in 2021, when a total of 2,569,386 acres burned, primarily due to the nearly 1 million-acre Dixie Fire. In 2020, California saw 4,304,379 acres burned, a total that included the August Complex Fires of over 1 million acres and the Creek Fire in Fresno and Madera Counties, which reached 379,895 acres.
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Other significant fires in 2024 include the Borel Fire in Kern County, which has consumed 59,288 acres, and the Bridge Fire, which remains active as it grows to 54,878 acres across Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. Meanwhile, the Line Fire in San Bernardino County, currently at 43,978 acres, has personnel working on containment.
Fresno County Wildfires
In Fresno County, CalFire has managed 39 wildfires that have burned a combined total of 45,242 acres this year. The most significant of these, the Boone Fire, ignited west of Coalinga and expanded to 17,000 acres before containment efforts slowed its spread.
Torres wanted to remind the public that if you see smoke, report it.
“If you think someone has reported it already, maybe they have not. So call 911 and report that fire if you do see smoke in your area,” he said.
If you want to know more about how to prevent fires around your home or in general, visit readyforwildfire.org.
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