2016 California wildfires
2016 California wildfires | |
---|---|
Statistics[1] | |
Total fires | 7,349 |
Total area | 560,815 acres (2,269.54 km2) |
Impacts | |
Deaths | 6 civilians killed, 1 firefighter killed |
Season | |
← 2015
2017 → |
The 2016 California wildfires were a series of wildfires that burned across the state of California during 2016. A total of 7,349 fires had burned an area 560,815 acres (2,269.54 km2), according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.[1]
Climatologists had predicted an extreme version of El Niño known as Super El Niño to occur during the winter of 2015–16. Although the Pacific Ocean’s warming water had been expected to bring strong storms to parts of the southwestern United States, actual precipitation totals generally underperformed those expectations.[2] Early in 2016, The National Interagency Fire Center predicted that conditions from May through at least August would put much of the western United States in above-normal wildfire danger.[3]
Events
In June, the United States Forest Service estimated that over 26 million trees had died across 760,000 acres (310,000 ha) in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This brought the number of dead trees to over 66 million during the past four years of drought.[4]
On August 15, the National Interagency Fire Center showed the state leading the nation in the quantity, size and intensity of wildfires.[4] A day later, on August 16, San Bernardino County announced that nearly 85,000 people were evacuated because of the Blue Cut Fire near Cajon Pass.[5] Authorities arrested a 40-year-old man in connection to the Clayton Fire, and charged him with 17 counts of arson.[4]
Fires
Name | County | Acres | Start Date | Containment Date | Status | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Roberts | San Luis Obispo | 3,712 | May 18, 2016 | May 20, 2016 | Yes | [6] | |
Metz | Monterey | 3,876 | May 22, 2016 | May 25, 2016 | Yes | [7] | |
Coleman | Monterey | 2,520 | June 4, 2016 | June 17, 2016 | Yes | [8] | |
Pony | Siskiyou | 2,860 | June 7, 2016 | June 30, 2016 | Yes | [9] | |
Sherpa | Santa Barbara | 7,474 | June 15, 2016 | July 12, 2016 | Yes | [10] | |
Border | San Diego | 7,609 | June 19, 2016 | June 30, 2016 | Yes | 2 fatalities, 5 homes and 11 outbuildings destroyed | [11] |
Pine | Ventura | 2,304 | June 19, 2016 | July 17, 2016 | Yes | [12] | |
San Gabriel Complex | Los Angeles | 5,399 | June 20, 2016 | July 23, 2016 | Yes | Reservoir Fire burned 1,146 acres; Fish Fire burned 4,253 acres | [13] |
Erskine | Kern | 48,019 | June 23, 2016 | July 12, 2016 | Yes | 2 fatalities, 285 homes destroyed, 12 damaged | [14] |
Trailhead | Placer | 5,646 | June 28, 2016 | July 18, 2016 | Yes | [15] | |
Deer | Kern | 1,785 | July 1, 2016 | July 11, 2016 | Yes | [16] | |
Curry | Fresno | 2,944 | July 1, 2016 | July 5, 2016 | Yes | [17] | |
Sage | Los Angeles | 1,109 | July 9, 2016 | July 16, 2016 | Yes | [18] | |
Roblar | San Diego | 1,245 | July 21, 2016 | July 30, 2016 | Yes | [19] | |
Sand | Los Angeles | 41,432 | July 22, 2016 | August 3, 2016 | Yes | 2 fatalities, 18 homes destroyed, 4 damaged [20] | [21] |
Soberanes | Monterey | 132,100 | July 22, 2016 | October 12, 2016 | Yes | 1 fatality, 3 injuries, 57 homes and 11 outbuildings destroyed. | [22] |
Goose | Fresno | 2,241 | July 30, 2016 | August 9, 2016 | Yes | 4 homes, 5 outbuildings destroyed | [23] |
Cold | Yolo | 5,731 | August 2, 2016 | August 12, 2016 | Yes | 2 outbuildings destroyed | [24] |
Pilot | San Bernardino | 8,110 | August 7, 2016 | August 16, 2016 | Yes | [25] | |
Mineral | Fresno | 7,050 | August 9, 2016 | August 18, 2016 | Yes | 2 structures destroyed | [26] |
Chimney | San Luis Obispo | 46,344 | August 13, 2016 | September 6, 2016 | Yes | 48 structures destroyed | [27] |
Clayton | Lake | 3,929 | August 13, 2016 | August 26, 2016 | Yes | 300 buildings destroyed | [28] |
Blue Cut | San Bernardino | 36,274 | August 16, 2016 | August 23, 2016 | Yes | 105 homes, 213 outbuildings destroyed | [29] |
Cedar | Kern | 29,322 | August 16, 2016 | September 30, 2016 | Yes | [30] | |
Rey | Santa Barbara | 32,606 | August 18, 2016 | September 16, 2016 | Yes | [31] | |
Gap | Siskiyou | 33,867 | August 27, 2016 | September 17, 2016 | Yes | [32] | |
Bogart | Riverside | 1,470 | August 30, 2016 | September 2, 2016 | Yes | 1 outbuilding destroyed | [33] |
Willard | Lassen | 2,575 | September 11, 2016 | September 22, 2016 | Yes | 5 structures destroyed | [34] |
Owens River | Mono | 5,443 | September 17, 2016 | October 15, 2016 | Yes | [35] | |
Canyon | Santa Barbara | 12,518 | September 17, 2016 | September 24, 2016 | Yes | 1 firefighter killed in crash | [36] |
Sawmill | Sonoma | 1,547 | September 25, 2016 | September 29, 2016 | Yes | [37] | |
Marshes | Tuolumne | 1,080 | September 26, 2016 | October 4, 2016 | Yes | [38] | |
Loma | Santa Clara | 4,474 | September 26, 2016 | October 12, 2016 | Yes | 28 structures destroyed | [39] |
4S Ranch brush fire
On Thursday, May 5, 2016, shortly before 3 P.M. PDT, a small brush fire ignited off the 15000 block of Dove Creek Road, in a creek bed, in 4S Ranch, San Diego County.[40][41] As the fire began spreading eastward, students and staff at the nearby Oak Valley Middle School were ordered to stay indoors, though parents were allowed to pick up their children.[41][42] However, as the fire continued to spread, evacuation orders were issued for some homes along Palomino Valley Road and Oak Valley Middle School, with the students from Oak Valley Middle School being relocated by bus to Westview High School.[40] The sudden change caused some confusion and chaos among parents attempting to pick up their children, and drew criticism towards the last-minute evacuation plan.[42] The brush fire quickly grew to 5 acres (0.020 km2), but within a couple of hours, the fire was contained and further growth was stopped.[43] At 4:34 PM PDT, the evacuation orders for the homes on Palomino Valley Road were lifted, as the fire was brought to 90% containment.[40] Just before 5:30 PM PDT, the brush fire was fully extinguished, and Rancho Santa Fe fire officials declared 100% containment of the fire. The fire did not cause any injuries or structural damage.[43] The brush fire was determined to have been accidentally caused by sparks coming from a welder.[41]
See also
- List of California wildfires
- 2005 Labor Day brush fire
- 2016 Fort McMurray Wildfire
- 2014 California wildfires
References
- ^ a b "National Report of Wildland Fires and Acres Burned by State 2016" (PDF). National Interagency Fire Center. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
- ^ Blankenbuehler, Paige (June 22, 2016). "El Niño adds fuel to Southwestern fires". The Journal. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
- ^ Grenoble, Ryan (May 2, 2016). "Here's Where The 2016 Wildfire Season Risk Is The Highest". The Huffington Post. The Huffington Post. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
- ^ a b c Fears, Darryl (August 16, 2016). "California is in flames right now, with fires fueled by historic drought". Washington Post. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
- ^ "More than 82,000 people flee Southern California wildfire". Chicago Tribune. August 16, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
- ^ "Roberts Fire". CAL FIRE. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
- ^ "Metz Fire". CAL FIRE. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
- ^ "Coleman Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
- ^ "Pony Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
- ^ "Sherpa Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
- ^ "Border Fire". CAL FIRE. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
- ^ "Pine Fire". Inciweb. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
- ^ "San Gabriel Complex". InciWeb. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
- ^ "Erskine Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
- ^ "Trailhead Fire Updates". CAL FIRE Incident Information. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- ^ "Deer Fire Updates". CAL FIRE Incident Information. CAL FIRE. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- ^ "Curry Fire Updates". CAL FIRE Incident Information. CAL FIRE. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
- ^ "Sage Fire". CAL FIRE. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
- ^ "Roblar Fire". CAL FIRE. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
- ^ Carr, Ada; Wright, Pam (July 24, 2016). "Body Found As Firefighters Continue to Battle 'Sand Fire' Near Los Angeles; 18 Homes Destroyed". The Weather Channel. Archived from the original on July 25, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|last-author-amp=
ignored (|name-list-style=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Sand Fire". Inciweb. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
- ^ "Soberanes Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
- ^ "Goose Fire Updates". CAL FIRE Incident Information. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
- ^ "Cold Fire". CAL FIRE. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
- ^ "Pilot Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
- ^ "Mineral Fire". CAL FIRE. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
- ^ "ChimneyFire". CAL FIRE. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
- ^ "Clayton Fire". Retrieved May 1, 2017.
- ^ "Blue Cut Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
- ^ "Cedar Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
- ^ "Rey Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
- ^ "Gap Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
- ^ "Bogart Fire". CAL FIRE. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
- ^ "Willard Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
- ^ "Owens River Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
- ^ "Canyon Fire" (PDF). Vandenberg Air Force Base. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
- ^ "Sawmill Fire". CAL FIRE. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
- ^ "Marshes Fire". CAL FIRE. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
- ^ "Loma Fire". CAL FIRE. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
- ^ a b c "Crews Battle Fire In 4S Ranch". KPBS News. May 26, 2016. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ a b c Kristina Audencial (May 27, 2016). "4S Ranch brush fire sparked by welders". Fox 5 San Diego. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ a b Abbie Alford (May 27, 2016). "Investigation under way after 4S Ranch fire". CBS News 8. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ a b "Firefighters contain 4S Ranch brush fire". ABC 10News. May 26, 2016. Retrieved November 13, 2017.