Global Information2017 California wildfires information
| 2017 California wildfires | |
|---|---|
 Smoke from the Alamo and Whittier fires during the 2017 California fire season, on July 8, 2017. | |
| Statistics[2] | |
| Total fires | 9,560[1] |
| Total area | 1,548,429 acres (6,266.27 km2) |
| Impacts | |
| Deaths | 45 civilians, 2 firefighters |
| Non-fatal injuries | 12 firefighters, 199 civilians |
| Structures destroyed | 10,280 |
| Damage | ≥$18.0 billion (2018 USD) (Second-costliest on record)[3][4] |
| Season | |
← 2016
2018 → | |
In terms of property damage, 2017 was the most destructive wildfire season on record in California at the time,[5] surpassed by only the 2018 season and the 2020 season,[6][7][8][9] with a total of 9,560 fires[1] burning 1,548,429 acres (6,266.27 km2) of land, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, including five of the 20 most destructive wildland-urban interface fires in the state's history.[2][10][11] Throughout 2017, the fires destroyed or damaged more than 10,000 structures in the state (destroyed 9,470, damaged 810), a higher tally than the previous nine years combined.[2] State data showed that the large wildfires killed 47 people – 45 civilians and 2 firefighters – almost higher than the previous 10 years combined.[12] The total property damage and total amount of burned land were both surpassed by the 2018 California wildfires.
Throughout the early months of 2017, there was heavy rainfall over most of California, which triggered widespread flooding, thus temporarily mitigating the state's historic drought conditions. However, according to a report published by the National Interagency Fire Center, the potential for large fires was "expected to remain near normal through the spring, but once fine fuels dry out, there will likely be a spike in grass fire activity."[13]
In December 2017, strong Santa Ana winds triggered a new round of wildfires, including the massive Thomas Fire in Ventura County.[14][15] At the time, the Thomas Fire was California's largest modern wildfire, which has since been surpassed by the Mendocino Complex's Ranch Fire in 2018. The December 2017 fires forced over 230,000 people to evacuate, with the 6 largest fires burning over 307,900 acres (1,246 km2) and more than 1,300 structures.[16][17]
During the year, 5 of the 20 most destructive wildfires in the state's history burned between October and December: #1 Tubbs, #6 Nuns, #7 Thomas, #11 Atlas, and #17 Redwood Valley.[11] The wildfires collectively caused at least $18.0 billion (2018 USD) in damages, including $13.2 billion in insured losses, $3 billion in other economic losses, and $1.8 billion in fire suppression costs, making the 2017 California fires the second-costliest on record.[3][4] The total economic cost, including fire suppression, insurance, direct and indirect economic losses, and recovery expenditures is estimated at about $180 billion (2017 USD).[18] This number includes economic harm to the wine industry, where several wineries in Napa and Sonoma were destroyed, and where many wine grapes were severely damaged by smoke. Cal Fire spent $700 million during fiscal year 2017, far exceeding the approximately $426 million the agency had budgeted that year for fire suppression.[12] This made 2017 the most expensive firefighting year on record in California state history.[19]
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2017 will be remembered as a year of extremes. It was the third-warmest year on record for the United States, and it was the second-hottest in California, bringing to the surface the question of long-term climate change and its contribution to the 2017 California fires. The hotter temperatures dry out vegetation, making them easier to burn, predisposing vulnerable regions like California to more wildfires in the coming decades as temperatures continue to rise and rainfall continues to decline.[12] Historically, it has been estimated that prior to 1850, about 4.5 million acres (17,000 km²) burned yearly, in fires that lasted for months.[20]
- ^ a b "National Report of Wildland Fires and Acres Burned by State 2017" (PDF). National Interagency Fire Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
- ^ a b c "2017 Incident Archive". 2019. Archived from the original on September 4, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
- ^ a b "California wildfire industry losses put at $13.2bn by Aon Benfield". Artemis.bm. January 25, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
- ^ a b "California spent nearly $1.8 billion last year fighting major wildfires". Los Angeles Times. March 1, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
- ^ Kasler, Dale (December 8, 2017). "Wine country wildfire costs now top $9 billion, costliest in California history". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ Reyes-Velarde, Alejandra (January 11, 2019). "California's Camp fire was the costliest global disaster last year, insurance report shows..." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
- ^ "2018 Incident Archive". CAL FIRE. 2020. Archived from the original on September 5, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
- ^ "2018 National Year-to-Date Report on Fires and Acres Burned" (PDF). NIFC. November 9, 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 30, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
- ^ "Southern Area Coordination Center". Southern Area Coordination Center. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- ^ Cosgrove, Jaclyn; Reyes-Velarde, Alejandra (September 8, 2018). "Wildfires have charred more than 1 million acres in California this year — and fire season is far from over". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
- ^ a b "Top 20 Most Destructive California Wildfires" (PDF). CalFire. August 27, 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 30, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
- ^ a b c California, State of. "CAL FIRE - Home". www.fire.ca.gov. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ Saunders, Doug (April 7, 2016). "How will rainy winter affect fire season? More summer grass fires, officials predict". The Press-Enterprise. The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
out of controlwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Abram, Susan (December 6, 2017). "Wildfires raging in Southern California cap most destructive season in state history. Here's why it's so bad". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
- ^ Winsor, Morgan; Osborne, Mark (December 9, 2017). "Firefighters taming Southern California wildfires as Gov. Brown warns of state's 'new reality'". ABCNews. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
- ^ "Southern California wildfires still burning as Donald Trump issues federal emergency declaration". ABC News. December 9, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ "AccuWeather predicts 2017 California wildfire season cost to rise to $180 billion". AccuWeather. December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ Frank, Brian; Mendelson, Aaron (January 12, 2018). "Thomas Fire fully contained, as firefighting costs set new record". 89.3 KPCC. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
- ^ Rogers, Paul (August 23, 2020). "California fires: State, feds agree to thin millions of acres of forests - New plan would last 20 years, reshaping California's landscape". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
Before the Gold Rush in 1849, large parts of California burned every few decades. Lightning fires burned for months, and native tribes burned the land, clearing out dead vegetation. ... Stephens, the UC fire scientist, estimates that before the Gold Rush, roughly 4.5 million acres a year in California burned. By the 1950s and 1960s, that was down to about 250,000 acres a year.