In the last century, California has experienced many wildfires. The causes of these fires varied from human-related, environment-related, and utility-related causes. Most of them damaged thousands of hectares of land and thousands of structures. What was the biggest fire in California ever?
When it comes to the biggest fire in California, one cannot forget several infamous fires, such as the Palisades and Eaton fires that occurred early this year. However, are those fires categorized as California’s largest fires? Keep scrolling to find the answer.
What was the Biggest Fire in California Ever?
The dry, hot, and windy weather conditions in California make many regions in this state prone to wildfires. This disaster is an annual phenomenon in this state. However, in the last 15 years, wildfires in California have become more uncontrollable and destroyed larger areas.
Below are the top 2 largest wildfires in this state.
August Complex Fire
What was the biggest fire in California ever? It was the August Complex Fire. This fire started in August 2020 and the firefighter successfully contained it in November 2020. The cause of the August Complex fire was a series of lightning.
A heatwave that summer made the Mendocino National Forest susceptible to wildfire. Therefore, a massive fire burned a large portion of it after lightning struck the forest in the middle of August.
The fire was uncontrolled and spread to Six Rivers National Forest, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, and areas surrounding those three forests. The wildfire damaged over 417,890 hectares of land across Mendocino, Glenn, Tehama, Trinity, Humboldt, Lake, Humboldt, and Colusa.
Moreover, the fire destroyed over 900 structures. It also killed a firefighter. However, no civilians died due to this fire because the forest is in remote areas.
Dixie Fire
About a year after the largest fire ever in California, another large wildfire occurred in the region. It was the Dixie Fire, which started in July 2021 and lasted for 104 days. The cause of this fire was energized power lines. The lines sparked fire after a tree fell on them.
The fire burned over 389,800 hectares of land in Butte, Lassen, Shasta, Plumas, and Tehama. In addition, the fire spread to a small part of LA.
The Dixie Fire is not as large as the biggest California fire in history. However, the former is more destructive than the latter. In total, the fire destroyed over 1,311 structures and killed one person.
Three years later, Pacific Gas and Electricity (PG&E), the owner of the powerlines, paid a $45 million settlement to those affected by the fire. About $2.5 million of this settlement was for the native tribes, victims of this disaster.
Most Destructive Wildfires in California
Some California fires burned large areas, but others were extremely destructive. They destroyed thousands of structures and caused large economic losses.
Camp Fire
The most destructive wildfire in California is Camp Fire in Butte County. In November 2018, a strong katabatic wind hit Butte County and caused poorly maintained power lines to spark a fire. This fire burned an area of over 62,000 hectares.
In addition, it destroyed over 18,800 structures and killed 85 people. The high number of victims also made the Camp Fire, Butte, the deathliest wildfire in California.
This wildfire forced over 50,000 people to evacuate. In addition, PG&E must pay a settlement of $13.5 billion to the victims. However, the company takes more than a year to pay the settlement.
Eaton Fire
The second most destructive California fire is the Eaton Fire in Los Angeles. Dry conditions and Santa Ana winds are factors that fueled the wildfire, which started on January 7, 2025.
As of January 27, LAFD was still suppressing the fire, which, according to the report, was 99% contained on that day. The Eaton Fire damaged over 5,670 hectares of land and burned down more than 9,400 structures. In addition, 17 people died due to this disaster.
Palisades Fire
Similar to the Eaton Fire, the Palisades Fire started on January 7, 2025. Santa Ana winds and dry conditions also fueled this wildfire. However, as of January 27, the Palisades fire was only 95% contained.
This wildfire burned over 9,400 hectares of land, destroyed more than 6,800 structures, and killed 11 people. Many houses destroyed by this fire are celebrity homes. The Palisades Fire also forced over 30,000 people to evacuate their homes.
What was the biggest fire in California ever? The largest fire in California’s history is the August Complex fire. The wildfire destroyed over 417,890 hectares of land. However, the economic loss caused by this fire was not as high as that of Camp Fire, Eaton Fire, and Palisades Fire.
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