2006 California wildfires
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Background
The timing of "fire season" in California is variable, depending on the amount of prior winter and spring precipitation, the frequency and severity of weather such as heat waves and wind events, and moisture content in vegetation. Northern California typically sees wildfire activity between late spring and early fall, peaking in the summer with hotter and drier conditions. Occasional cold frontal passages can bring wind and lightning. The timing of fire season in Southern California is similar, peaking between late spring and fall. The severity and duration of peak activity in either part of the state is modulated in part by weather events: downslope/offshore wind events can lead to critical fire weather, while onshore flow and Pacific weather systems can bring conditions that hamper wildfire growth.[4][5]
List of wildfires
Below is a list of all fires that exceeded 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) during the 2006 fire season.[2] The list is taken from CAL FIRE's list of large fires.
| Name | County | Acres | Km2 | Start date | Contained Date[a] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sierra | Riverside | 10,584 | 42.8 | February 6, 2006 | February 6, 2006 | |
| Hotlum | Siskiyou | 3,019 | 12.2 | February 25, 2006 | February 27, 2006 | 4 structures destroyed |
| Torch | Fresno | 1,964 | 7.9 | May 13, 2006 | May 14, 2006 | |
| Stuhr | Stanislaus | 1,418 | 5.7 | May 26, 2006 | May 26, 2006 | |
| Alpaugh | Tulare | 1,700 | 6.9 | May 27, 2006 | May 27, 2006 | |
| Perkins | Santa Barbara | 14,988 | 60.7 | June 19, 2006 | June 26, 2006 | 7 structures destroyed |
| Boulder Complex | Plumas | 3,500 | 14.2 | June 25, 2006 | July 5, 2006 | 2 structures destroyed |
| Observation Complex | Lassen | 4,300 | 17.4 | June 25, 2006 | June 30, 2006 | |
| Goodale | Inyo | 3,750 | 15.2 | June 26, 2006 | June 29, 2006 | |
| Yolla Bolly | Tehama | 1,247 | 5.0 | June 27, 2006 | June 27, 2006 | |
| Del Puerto | Stanislaus | 2,590 | 10.5 | June 30, 2006 | July 3, 2006 | |
| Pedro | Tuolumne | 2,000 | 8.1 | July 3, 2006 | July 5, 2006 | |
| Pushwalla Complex | Riverside | 2,000 | 8.1 | July 7, 2006 | July 10, 2006 | |
| Happy Complex | Modoc | 1,780 | 7.2 | July 9, 2006 | July 9, 2006 | 2 firefighter fatalities |
| Canyon | Stanislaus | 34,000 | 137.6 | July 9, 2006 | July 17, 2006 | 11 structures destroyed |
| Sawtooth Complex | San Bernardino | 62,000 | 250.9 | July 9, 2006 | July 20, 2006 | 273 structures destroyed, 1 civilian fatality |
| Millard Fire Assist | Riverside | 24,210 | 98.0 | July 9, 2006 | July 9, 2006 | |
| Beck | San Luis Obispo | 1,500 | 6.1 | July 11, 2006 | July 12, 2006 | |
| Midway | Alameda | 6,400 | 25.9 | July 11, 2006 | July 11, 2006 | |
| Creek | Lassen | 1,234 | 5.0 | July 18, 2006 | July 21, 2006 | |
| Coytoe | Tulare | 1,325 | 5.4 | July 20, 2006 | July 21, 2006 | |
| Olive | Merced | 25,007 | 101.2 | July 21, 2006 | July 21, 2006 | |
| Ricco | Monterey | 14,506 | 58.7 | July 22, 2006 | July 27, 2006 | |
| Three Rocks | Fresno | 8,400 | 34.0 | July 22, 2006 | July 22, 2006 | |
| Horse | San Diego | 16,681 | 67.5 | July 23, 2006 | August 1, 2006 | |
| Happy Camp | Siskiyou | 3,318 | 13.4 | July 23, 2006 | September 24, 2006 | |
| Uncles Complex | Siskiyou | 30,454 | 123.2 | July 23, 2006 | October 31, 2006 | 1 structure destroyed |
| Oorleans Complex | Humboldt | 15,710 | 63.6 | July 24, 2006 | September 30, 2006 | 1 structure destroyed |
| Empire | Los Angeles | 1,094 | 4.4 | July 25, 2006 | July 25, 2006 | |
| Hunter | Mendocino | 16,296 | 65.9 | July 26, 2006 | July 26, 2006 | |
| Hoy | Siskiyou | 1,283 | 5.2 | July 26, 2006 | July 28, 2006 | 1 structure destroyed |
| Bar Complex | Trinity | 100,414 | 406.4 | July 27, 2006 | July 27, 2006 | |
| Sage | Modoc | 4,855 | 19.6 | July 27, 2006 | August 5, 2006 | |
| Junction | Trinity | 3,126 | 12.7 | July 29, 2006 | July 29, 2006 | 1 structure destroyed |
| Kingsley | Tehama | 6,854 | 27.7 | August 2, 2006 | August 2, 2006 | |
| Cottonwood | Kern | 2,346 | 9.5 | August 5, 2006 | August 6, 2006 | |
| Quail | Los Angeles | 4,864 | 19.7 | August 13, 2006 | August 16, 2006 | 2 structures destroyed |
| Pigeon | Trinity | 6,452 | 26.1 | September 2, 2006 | October 16, 2006 | |
| Day | Ventura | 169,702 | 686.8 | September 4, 2006 | October 2, 2006 | 11 structures destroyed |
| Ralston | Placer | 8,423 | 34.1 | September 5, 2006 | September 18, 2006 | 2 structures destroyed |
| Sawmill | Mono | 7,434 | 30.1 | September 14, 2006 | September 15, 2006 | 2 structures destroyed |
| Orchard | Riverside | 1,580 | 6.4 | September 16, 2006 | September 16, 2006 | |
| Ranch | Riverside | 1,670 | 6.8 | September 17, 2006 | September 17, 2006 | |
| Pinnacles | San Bernardino | 2,370 | 9.6 | September 19, 2006 | September 21, 2006 | |
| Bassetts | Sierra | 2,114 | 8.6 | September 19, 2006 | September 26, 2006 | |
| Noble | Mendocino | 1,014 | 4.1 | September 24, 2006 | September 30, 2006 | |
| Phelps | Fresno | 1,600 | 6.5 | October 25, 2006 | October 25, 2006 | |
| Esperanza | Riverside | 40,200 | 162.7 | October 26, 2006 | October 31, 2006 | 54 structures destroyed, 5 firefighters and 1 civilian killed |
| Shekell | Ventura | 13,600 | 55.0 | December 3, 2006 | December 5, 2006 | 7 structures destroyed |
| Westside | Kern | 4,025 | 16.3 | December 7, 2006 | December 9, 2006 |
Notes
- Containment means that fire crews have established and secured control lines around the fire's perimeter. These lines are artificial barriers, like trenches or cleared vegetation, designed to stop the fire's spread, or natural barriers like rivers. Containment reflects progress in managing the fire but does not necessarily mean the fire is starved of fuel, under control, or put out.[6]
