Global Information2007 California wildfires information
| 2007 California wildfires | |
|---|---|
 NASA satellite photo (provided by NSPO, Taiwan National Space Organization) from October 24, 2007, showing the active fire zones and smoke plumes. | |
| Statistics[2] | |
| Total fires | 9,093 |
| Total area | 1,520,362 acres (6,152.69 km2)[1] |
| Impacts | |
| Deaths | At least 17[3][4][5] |
| Non-fatal injuries | At least 203[6][7] |
| Damage | >$2.681 billion (2007 USD)[8][9][10] |
| Season | |
← 2006
2008 → | |
The 2007 California wildfire season saw at least 9,093 separate wildfires that charred 1,520,362 acres (6,152.69 km2) of land.[1] Thirty of those wildfires were part of the Fall 2007 California firestorm,[5] which burned approximately 972,147 acres (about 3,934 km2, or 1,520 mi2) of land from Santa Barbara County to the U.S.–Mexico border.[6] At the peak of the wildfire activity in October 2007, the raging wildfires were visible from space.[11]
The wildfires killed a total of 17 people, with nine of them dying directly from the fires;[12][5] 203 others were injured, including at least 124 firefighters.[6][13]
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in seven California counties where fires were burning.[14] President George W. Bush concurred, and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts.[15] Over 6,000 firefighters worked to fight the blazes; they were aided by units of the United States Armed Forces,[16] United States National Guard,[17] almost 3,000 prisoners convicted of non-violent crimes,[18] and 60 firefighters from the Mexican cities of Tijuana and Tecate.[19] The fires forced approximately 1,000,000 people to evacuate from their homes, becoming the largest evacuation in California's history.[20]
Major contributing factors to the extreme fire conditions were drought in Southern California, hot weather, and the unusually strong Santa Ana winds, with gusts reaching 112 mph (180 km/h).[5][21] California's "fire season," which traditionally runs from June to October, has become a year-round threat, due to a mixture of perennial drought and the increasing number of homes built in canyons and on hillsides, surrounded by brush and forest.[22]
The fires had numerous sources. Several were triggered by power lines damaged by the high winds.[23][24] One fire started when a semi-truck overturned.[25] Another was suspected as having been deliberately caused; the suspect was shot and killed in flight by state authorities.[26] A 10-year-old boy admitted that he accidentally started the Buckweed Fire by playing with matches.[27] Causes of the remaining fires remain under investigation. The last active fire of the October 2007 fires, the Harris Fire, was fully extinguished on November 16, 2007, about 27 days after the series of wildfires had begun to ignite.[28][29] The October 2007 wildfires collectively caused over $2 billion in property damages.[8][9]
During the season, the National Interagency Fire Center reported that two firefighters were killed. One died in a helicopter crash, and the second was killed in a bulldozer rollover.[30]
- ^ a b "California Wildfires and Acres for all Jurisdictions" (PDF). CalFire. August 24, 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 28, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
- ^ "National Report of Wildland Fires and Acres Burned by State 2007" (PDF). National Interagency Fire Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 November 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
- ^ Christine Hanley, Janet Wilson and Mitchell Landsberg (October 24, 2007). "1,155 homes -- and counting". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
- ^ Elliot Spagat (October 25, 2007). "2 burned bodies are found in Calif". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on 2007-10-27. Retrieved 2007-10-25.
- ^ a b c d "California Fire Siege 2007: An Overview" (PDF). Fire.ca.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-11-19. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
- ^ a b c "Archived Fires 2007". cdfdata.fire.ca.gov. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
- ^ "Bush signs order to speed aid to fire victims". CNN. October 24, 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
- ^ a b Dr. Tomas Girnius; Tyler Hauteniemi; Scott Stransky (August 2008). "California Wildfire: How Large Can The Losses Be?" (PDF). AIRCurrents. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 12, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ a b Walker F. Ekard (February 2008). "2007 San Diego County Firestorms After Action Report" (PDF). County of San Diego. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
- ^ "CAL FIRE 2007 Wildland Fire Summary" (PDF). CalFire. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ "California Fires Rage, Visible in Space". National Geographic. 2007-10-23. Archived from the original on October 26, 2007. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
- ^ "Firestorm Claims 9th Victim". NBCSandiego.com. KNSD. November 8, 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-12-02. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
- ^ "Fire deaths, damage come into focus as evacuees cope". cnn.com. CNN. October 26, 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
- ^ Archibold, Randal C. (2007-10-23). "Residents Flee Wildfires in S. California". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-10-23.
- ^ "Statement on Federal Disaster Assistance for California" (Press release). The White House. 2007-10-23. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
cnn militarywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "California turns to prisoners to fight huge fires". reuters.com. Reuters News Service. October 26, 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
- ^ "Mexican firefighters helping in California return to Mexico to fight blaze". The San Diego Union-Tribune. October 23, 2007. Archived from the original on October 30, 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
- ^ McLean, Demian; Peter J. Brennan (October 24, 2007). "California Fires Rout Almost 1 Million People, Kill 5 (Update7)". Bloomberg.
- ^ Chang, Alicia (2007-10-22). "Southern California wildfires blamed on unusual Santa Ana winds". KOLO-TV. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2014-06-12.
- ^ Adams, Guy (2008-11-17). "50,000 flee homes as fires rage in California". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 2022-05-01. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
- ^ "Firefighters Protect Homes In Foothill Ranch". KNBC. 2007-10-22. Archived from the original on 2009-01-07. Retrieved 2007-10-22.
- ^ "Power lines cited as cause of largest wildfires". The San Diego Union-Tribune. 2007-11-16. Archived from the original on 2008-08-29. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
- ^ Stephen Wall; Gina Tenorio; Jannise Johnson. "Fontana homes evacuated, freeways closed". DailyBulletin.com. Archived from the original on 2008-03-24. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
- ^ Attewill, Fred (October 25, 2007). "California police shoot dead suspected arsonist". Guardian. London. Retrieved 2007-10-27.
- ^ Daisy Nguyen (2007-10-30). "Boy with matches started fire that burned 21 homes". Long Beach Press-Telegram. Archived from the original on 2012-02-24. Retrieved 2007-10-31.
- ^ Peter Rowe; J. Harry Jones (October 22, 2017). "Searing lessons: how the 2007 wildfires changed San Diego County". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
- ^ "Late October, 2007 California Wildfire Web Pages". FIRESCOPE: FIrefighting RESources of California Organized for Potential Emergencies. 2007-11-09. Archived from the original on 2007-10-31. Retrieved 2007-11-10.
- ^ "Wildland Fire Accidents and Fatalities by Year" (PDF). National Interagency Fire Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 17, 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2015.