‘A fire year’: California wildfires have burned more than 20 times as much land as last year

After a wet winter and hot summer, this year’s fire season is off to a fierce start. Here’s the latest to date, including the largest fires burning in California.

So far, more than 3,500 wildfires have eaten up at least 219,247 acres across the state, according to California fire officials. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated, dozens of structures have been damaged or destroyed, and officials say at least one person has died.

“We are not just in a fire season, but we are in a fire year,” Joe Tyler, the head of Cal Fire, told reporters this week at a news conference.

400% more acres burned

The number of fires is only slightly higher than this time last year, but state data show that the acreage burned is more than 20 times greater. By this point in 2023, just over 3,000 blazes had consumed 10,398 acres. According to David Acuna, a Cal Fire battalion chief, the longer-term trends are similarly alarming.

“If you look at the five-year average, we are slightly below on the number of fires,” Acuna told The Times, “but we are more than 400% greater in acres burned.”

In part, that’s because it’s been such a scorching summer, with an oppressive heat wave shattering temperature records across the West. But Acuna said it’s also because the last two fire seasons were relatively mild, and the winter and spring were wetter than usual — factors that combined to leave behind more layers of dried vegetation to fuel flames.

“With the hotter weather and the wind events,” Acuna said, “all of those added together for a much faster moving, much more vigorous fire season.”

This week, the Mina fire in the northwestern part of the state may have claimed California’s first wildfire-related fatality for the season, Acuna said. According to the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, around 2 a.m. on Tuesday, firefighters near Covelo found human remains inside a structure that had been engulfed by flames a day earlier after a burn pile got out of control and started the wildfire. The official cause of death is pending.

By midday Thursday, the Mina fire had burned through 98 acres of timber and was 50% contained.

Lake and Vista fires grow

Meanwhile, the Lake fire — the state’s largest active blaze as of Thursday evening — continued to burn in Santa Barbara County with 16% containment. The fire began on July 5 and quickly chewed through more than 21,000 acres over the weekend as firefighters on the ground struggled to reach the flames due to the enduring heat and challenging terrain.

A handful of buildings and campgrounds in Los Padres National Forest were damaged or destroyed, and at one point the fire came within a mile of Sycamore Valley Ranch — the former Neverland Ranch, owned by Michael Jackson — which fell inside the evacuation zone. By Thursday, the fire had destroyed more than 34,000 acres, and 3,044 fire personnel were fighting the blaze.

Closer to Los Angeles, the Vista fire continued to burn in the San Bernardino National Forest on Thursday, covering more than 2,700 acres as of morning, officials said. The blaze ignited Sunday around 1 p.m. on the south side of Lytle Creek and soon threatened the iconic Mt. Baldy area, including its nearly 100-year-old resort. Portions of the Pacific Crest Trail were closed, in addition to trails below the resort.

Hundreds of people were evacuated from nearby recreational areas, and an estimated 416 structures were threatened by the flames, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Officials said the fire almost doubled in size overnight from Wednesday into Thursday, with fire crews working to build containment and contingency lines.

By midday Thursday, firefighters reported 0% containment. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Other large blazes in the state include the Basin fire in Fresno County — which was more than 90% contained after scorching just over 14,000 acres — and the Shelly fire, which injured one person and burned more than 9,800 acres in the Marble Mountain Wilderness. State fire officials said it was 1% contained by Thursday evening.

Current wildfires

The active wildfire incidents in the state as of Thursday evening included:

• Lake fire in Santa Barbara County (34,015 acres)
• Basin fire in Fresno County (14,027 acres)
• Shelly fire in Siskiyou County (9,853 acres)
• North fire in Modoc County (4,389 acres)
• Vista fire in San Bernardino County (2,700 acres)
• French fire in Mariposa County (908 acres)
• Sheering fire in Tuolumne County (528 acres)
• Cow fire in Tulare County (509 acres)
• Bogus fire in Siskiyou County (411 acres)
• Royal fire in Placer County (215 acres)
• Blue Water fire in San Bernardino County (150 acres)
• Railbridge fire in Butte County (130 acres)
• Mina fire in Mendocino County (98 acres)
• Poppy fire in Los Angeles County (87 acres)
• Point fire in Humboldt County (85 acres)
• Ranch fire in Lassen County (21 acres)
• Woodland fire in Los Angeles County (20 acres)
• Teresa fire in Santa Clara County (20 acres)
• Carrizo 5 fire in San Diego County (10 acres)

Despite the rough start to the season, Acuna said predictions for the future are difficult. Last year seemed set for a heavy fire season until a tropical storm inundated parts of the state in August.

“That changed everything, which is why we did not have a lot of acres burn last year,” Acuna said. “But for us to already be at the high number of acres [burned] this year, that is very unusual.”

Heat to subside slightly

According to National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Sirard, there could at least be a slight reprieve ahead when it comes to the heat in Los Angeles and to the north. There are still excessive heat warnings in place for the mountains, interior valleys and deserts in the region through Saturday evening. But by the end of the weekend, the heat wave is expected to move slightly east, and temperatures will be only a few degrees above normal next week across the region.

When it comes to the fire outlook, Sirard said one potentially aggravating factor is the slight chance of a thunderstorm Friday in Santa Barbara County. He warned that could create winds as well as the possibility of dry lightning that would make for hazardous conditions in the vicinity of the Lake fire.

State fire officials track all fire incidents of more than 10 acres publicly on the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection website, which details evacuation warnings and orders. Fire prevention and preparation tips are available at ReadyForWildfire.org.