The erratic conflagration has chewed through more than 273,000 acres and 68 homes in 10 days, making it the second-largest wildfire on record in California.
Reporting from Redding, Calif. — The Mendocino Complex fire is now the largest wildfire in modern California history, scorching more than 283,000 acres and frustrating firefighters as it continues to leap across natural and man-made barriers in Lake County.
The Ranch and River fires, which make up the complex fire, had grown to 283,800 acres as of Monday evening, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The blaze was only 30% contained.
“We broke the record,” said Scott McLean, a deputy chief with Cal Fire. “That’s one of those records you don’t want to see.”
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The blaze surpassed the Thomas fire, which burned through more than 281,000 acres in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties late last year.
Officials said the Mendocino Complex fire has continued to grow by thousands of acres each day, even at night, when most fires normally calm down.
The Mendocino Complex fire perimeter Monday morning covered more than 273,000 acres.
(Jon Schleuss / Los Angeles Times)
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The fire has prompted evacuations in Mendocino, Lake and Colusa counties, but it has been less destructive to property than some of the other dozen-plus wildfires burning across the state because it continues to rage in remote areas.
Firefighters treated the Ranch and River fires as one event, even though the two fire never actually merged. One burned on the west side of Clear Lake, the other on the north and east side.
But the fire’s sheer size and rate of spread is the latest signal of a remarkable fire year for California.
“It is extremely fast, extremely aggressive, extremely dangerous,” McLean said. “Look how big it got, just in a matter of days.… Look how fast this Mendocino Complex went up in ranking. That doesn’t happen. That just doesn’t happen.”
Years of drought have created ripe conditions for large-scale wildfires that spread rapidly. Of the five largest wildfires in state history, four have occurred since 2012.
Wine country was devastated last October with the most destructive fires in state history, destroying thousands of homes and killing dozens.
There are 18 large wildfires burning across California, scarring a combined 559,000 acres, officials have said. In Redding, the Carr fire has claimed seven lives and more than 1,000 homes while growing to 163,207 acres in size, making the deadly blaze now the 12th largest wildfire in state history, Cal Fire officials said in a statement.
Firefighters working overnight Sunday increased containment on the Carr fire to 45%, officials said during a Monday morning news briefing. The blaze chewed through about 3,000 more acres overnight as crews continued to build up containment lines, Cal Fire said.
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Rescue crews there have been repeatedly hamstrung by intense heat and difficult terrain. The fire jumped the Sacramento River more than a week ago and raced into subdivisions in western Redding.
Officials said Monday that shifting winds, steep canyons and rocky terrain on the fire’s northern edge along the Shasta and Trinity county border have made it difficult to attack the flames on the ground.
Bulldozers have scraped in defensive lines miles to the north and east, far from the fire’s edge. With Trinity Lake providing a natural barrier that has slowed the fire’s advance to the northwest, crews will spend the next several days tightening that perimeter until they find a position to make a final stand, officials said.
A high-pressure system moving into the area Monday could help with that effort, meteorologist Alex Hoon said during Monday’s briefing.
While that will create poor air quality for firefighters and virtually every community around the blaze, it also means the fire will be starved of the oxygen it needs to grow, he said.
“This is pretty much the best weather conditions we can ask for, for the beginning part of August. The fire’s not going to get up and move,” Hoon said.
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The Carr fire has proved to be the deadliest in the state this year, claiming the lives of four residents, a Redding firefighter, a private bulldozer operator and a Pacific Gas & Electric utility worker.
Fire officials are also concerned about the growth of the Donnell fire, which has spread to 12,000 acres since it ignited last week in the Stanislaus National Forest. The fire began along the Stanislaus River and has triggered mandatory evacuations, but like several other blazes around the state, the fire is in steep terrain that has made containment efforts difficult, according to a news release issued by the U.S. Forest Service. The blaze was only at 1% containment as of Sunday night.
As the fires raged in Northern California, meteorologists issued red flag warnings in the Los Angeles area, where temperatures will reach the triple digits in several neighborhoods and cities early in the week.
Woodland Hills could see a high of 108, while Santa Clarita and Burbank could all see the mercury rise above 100 before Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. Farther north, other cities that could experience 100-degree-plus heat are Ojai in Ventura County and Paso Robles in San Luis Obispo County.
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Cattle graze on the grassland near the Ranch fire outside of Lodoga.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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A man fishes in Clear Lake as the smoky haze shrouds visibility in Clearlake Oaks.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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A plume of smoke rises from the Mendocino Complex fire near Lodoga. The Mendocino Complex Fire, which is made up of the River Fire and Ranch Fire, has surpassed the Thomas Fire to become the largest wildfire in California state history with over 300,000 acres charred.
(Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
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Firefighters battling the Mendocino Complex blaze monitor a burn operation on top of a ridge near the town of Ladoga on Aug. 7.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Crews battling the Mendocino Complex fire supervise a burn operation near the town of Ladoga on Aug. 7.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Firefighters keep an eye on a burn operation as part of the battle against the Mendocino Complex blaze on Aug. 7.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Arnold Lasker looks over the remains of his girlfriend’s house in Spring Valley, near Clearlake Oaks, on Aug. 7.
(Josh Edelson / AFP/Getty Images)
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Evacuated during the Ranch fire, Jay Michael and Gretchen Fritsch rest in their car in the parking lot of the Moose Lodge in Clearlake Oaks on Aug. 7. This is the eighth time they have been evacuated since living in the area, and the third time this year.
(Josh Edelson / AFP/Getty Images)
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Burned out cars sit in the remains of a home that was destroyed by the Medocino Complex fire in Clearlake Oaks, Calif.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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A sign warns people to stay out of a burned area in Clearlake Oaks, Calif.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Helicopters enroute to pick up water at the Mendocino Complex fire in Clearlake Oaks, Calif.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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A Buddha statue is seen at a burned home in Spring Valley, near Clearlake Oaks, Calif.
(JOSH EDELSON / AFP/Getty Images)
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Image taken from the International Space Station shows the wildfires burning in Calif. In the upper left portion of the image is the Carr and Mendocino Complex fires and to the right is the Ferguson fire. (ALEXANDER GERST / AFP/Getty Images)
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Resident Lane Lawder carries a water bucket while fighting to save his home from the Ranch fire burning along New Long Valley Road near Clearlake Oaks.
(Noah Berger / AFP/Getty Images)
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A tree burns from the inside during the Ranch fire in Clearlake Oaks.
(Josh Edelson / Associated Press)
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An air tanker drops retardant on the Ranch Fire, part of the Mendocino Complex Fire, burning along High Valley Rd near Clearlake Oaks.
(Noah Berger / AFP/Getty Images)
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A fire truck passes a vineyard while battling the Ranch Fire, part of the Mendocino Complex Fire, near Clearlake Oaks.
(NOAH BERGER / AFP/Getty Images)
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A hillside smolders after flames passed through during the Ranch fire in Clearlake Oaks.
(Josh Edelson / Associated Press)
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The Ranch fire burns a home on New Long Valley Road near Clearlake Oaks on Saturday.
(Noah Berger / AFP/Getty Images)
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A firefighter gathers water from a pool while battling the Ranch Fire near Clearlake Oaks on Saturday.
(Noah Berger / AFP/Getty Images)
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A deer flees as the Ranch fire tears down New Long Valley Road near Clearlake Oaks on Saturday.
(Noah Berger / AFP/Getty Images)
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Dan Kissick, 60, left, shown with his son Jeff Kissick, searches the remains of his home on Kellinger Street on Saturday after the Carr fire hit Redding.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
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Maureen Kissick examines china from her wedding 36 years ago as she sits in what was once the dining room of her home on Kellinger Street in Redding.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
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A Pacific Gas and Electric Co. crew repairs power lines Saturday near the damaged home of Jose Briones along Baker Road in Redding.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
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Smoke clouds rise from the Ranch Fire portion of the Mendocino Complex Fire in Lakeport on Aug. 1.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Buzz Craddock carries a pack tied with antlers covered in fire retardant as firefighters work to stop the progression of the River fire in Lakeport, Calif.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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The charred remains of a truck sit in the ash in Lakeport, Calif., on Aug. 1.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Firefighters watch as air tankers drop fire retardant ahead of the River fire in Lakeport, Calif., on Aug. 1.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Helicopters make water drops as flames from the River fire advance towards Lakeport, Calif.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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A West Covina firefighter works as a barn in the background is destroyed by the Mendocino complex fires near Lakeport, Calif., on July 31.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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A barn is engulfed in flames as the Mendocino complex fires spread with the wind near Hendricks Road in Lakeport, Calif., on July 31.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Chickens near a home being destroyed by the Mendocino complex fires in a neighborhood near Lakeport, Calif., on July 31.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Firefighters work to keep flames from the Mendocino complex fires from destroying a home as evening winds kick in near Lakeport, Calif., on July 31.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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A helicopter makes a water drop near the raging Mendocino complex fires west of Lakeport, Calif., on July 31.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Firefighters work to keep flames from the Mendocino complex fires from destroying a home as evening winds kick in near Lakeport, Calif., on July 31.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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A firefighter monitors a controlled burn along California 20 in Upper Lake on July 31. The Ranch and River fires are burning together as the Mendocino complex fires.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Firefighters from S&R Contracting in Oregon dig into the ground as they make sure all residual flames are put out near Redding, Calif., on July 30.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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The Carr fire destroyed and sunk boats docked at the marina in Whiskeytown, Calif.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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The Carr fire swept through and destroyed property and structures in Shasta, Calif.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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A Cal Fire firefighter waters down a back burn on Cloverdale Road near the town of Igo on Saturday, July 28, 2018. The back burn kept the fire from jumping toward the town. Scorching heat, winds and dry conditions complicated firefighting efforts.
(Hector Amezcua / Associated Press)
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A deer stands in the middle of a road covered in fire retardant as the Carr fire continues to threaten structures near Redding on Saturday, July 28, 2018.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Mark Peterson, who lost his home in the Carr fire, gives water to goats that survived the blaze on Saturday, July 28, 2018, in Redding.
(Noah Berger / AP)
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Wildfire destroyed homes overnight in Lake Keswick Estates near Redding on July 27.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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A woman covers her face while viewing her grandmother’s home, burned in the Carr fire in Redding, on July 27.
(Josh Edelson / AFP/Getty Images)
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A firefighter sprays water on what’s left of a Redding home damaged by the Carr fire on July 27.
(Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
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A firefighter lights backfires during the Carr fire near Redding on July 27.
(Josh Edelson / AFP/Getty Images)
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A burning home is reflected in a pool during the Carr fire in Redding on July 27.
(Josh Edelson / AFP/Getty Images)
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A home burns along Sunflower Road in Redding during the Carr fire on July 27.
(Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
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A structure burns as the Carr fire races along State Route 299 near Redding on July 26.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
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Firefighters transport a Carr fire evacuee to the Mercy Medical Center emergency room on July 26.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
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Firefighters discuss plans while battling the Carr fire in Shasta County on July 26.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
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Firefighters regroup while battling the Carr cire in Shasta County on July 26.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
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A structure is engulfed in flames as the Carr fire burns along State Route 299 near Redding on July 26.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
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A water tender operator helping to battle the Carr fire drinks a beverage after trying to save a burning structure in Shasta on July 26.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
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The Carr fire burns near Shasta on July 26.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
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A historic schoolhouse burns as the Carr fire tears through Shasta on July 26.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Serna reported from Redding. Queally and Tchekmedyian reported from Los Angeles.
James Queally writes about crime and policing in Southern California, where he currently covers Los Angeles County’s criminal courts, the district attorney’s office and juvenile justice issues for the Los Angeles Times.
Alene Tchekmedyian is an investigative reporter at the Los Angeles Times. She previously covered the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, focusing on accountability stories and writing about failures by officials to comply with transparency laws. Before joining The Times in 2016, she reported on crime and policing for the Glendale News-Press and Burbank Leader.
