2025 California wildfires
Natural disasters in the United States
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A series of wildfires burned throughout the state of California during 2025. By the end of the year, a total of 8,036 fires had burned 525,223 acres (212,550 ha) across the state.
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 autumn. 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.[2][3]
January wildfires
Climate change increased the likelihood of the event by creating first a very strong rainfall (which resulted in more vegetation), and then a very strong drought (which dried the vegetation). The likelihood for such events increased by 8-31% from 1950. Previous climate models underestimated the risk, but even they said that a 3-degree temperature rise will double the chances for such events in comparison to current conditions. Climate change also increases the intensity of winds, and reduces the amount of water available for stopping the wildfires.[4][5][6]
Scientists from the University of California made a fast evaluation, estimating that the difference between the average temperatures in 1980–2023 and the abnormally hot 2024 alone is responsible for 25% of the moisture deficit which was one of the causes of the wildfires. They mentioned that "Substantial anthropogenic warming occurred prior to this period, so our estimate of the effect of heat anomalies in 2024 is conservative". Their study is still not peer reviewed.[7]
Another analysis from ClimaMeter estimated that the weather conditions in the region when the wildfires begun were "up 5°C warmer, 3 mm/day (up to 15%) drier, and up to 5 km/h (up to 20%) windier" during the years 1987–2023 in comparison to the years 1950–1986. It was mainly due to climate change, while natural variability played only a small role.[8] Additionally, as climate change made the wildfire season in California longer, it further overlapped with the season of Santa Ana winds (October-January).[9] Analysis from Climate Central and World Weather Attribution also found that climate change strongly increased the likelihood of the wildfires not by one, but by multiple ways.[10][11]
The wildfires destroyed houses of some of the richest people in California, including many homes in Malibu's Carbon Beach, colloquially also known as "Billionaire's Beach".[12] The estimated cost of these wildfires is about 250 to 275 billion US dollars.[13] Organizations within California, like the Michelson Found Animals and Better Neighbor Project have come together to make donations and help families who have been affected by the fires.[14]
List of wildfires
The following is a list of fires that burned more than 1,000 acres (400 ha), produced significant structural damage, or resulted in casualties.
| Name | County | Acres | Start date | Containment date[a] | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palisades | Los Angeles | 23,448 | January 7 | January 31 | Destroyed 6,837 structures and damaged 1,017 in Pacific Palisades and Malibu, northwest of Santa Monica; caused twelve confirmed fatalities and four confirmed injuries; third-most destructive wildfire in California history; associated with extremely powerful Santa Ana wind event | [16][17][18] |
| Eaton | Los Angeles | 14,021 | January 7 | January 31 | Evacuations forced; destroyed 9,418 structures and damaged 1,073 in Altadena and Pasadena, making it the second-most destructive fire in California history; 17 confirmed fatalities and nine confirmed injuries, making it the fifth deadliest in state history; associated with extremely powerful Santa Ana wind event | [19][20][21] |
| Kenneth | Ventura | 1,052 | January 9 | January 12 | Evacuations forced; associated with extremely powerful Santa Ana wind event | [22] |
| Hughes | Los Angeles | 10,425 | January 22 | January 30 | Burned near Castaic Lake. Evacuations forced; associated with extremely powerful Santa Ana wind event beginning on January 22, 2025 | [23] |
| Border 2 | San Diego | 6,625 | January 23 | January 30 | Vegetation fire that burned in the Otay Mountain Wilderness. Threatened critical infrastructure on Otay Mountain and prompted evacuations for nearby communities | [24] |
| Silver | Inyo | 1,611 | March 30 | April 6 | Evacuation orders were issued for parts of Inyo and Mono counties. | [25][26] |
| Springs | Kern, Tulare | 1,817 | May 6 | May 7 | Unknown cause. Burned near Fountain Springs. | [27][28] |
| Democrat | Kern | 1,700 | May 18 | May 28 | Unknown cause. Burned near State Route 178 in Sequoia National Forest. | [29] |
| Jaw | Kern | 4,327 | May 19 | June 1 | Burned near Jawbone Canyon. | [30] |
| Rose | Fresno | 1,200 | June 2 | June 3 | Burned on Highway 74. | [31] |
| Ranch | San Bernardino | 4,293 | June 10 | June 20 | Prompted evacuations south of State Route 18 in the Apple Valley area. Destroyed one structure. | [32][33] |
| Dogs | Kern | 4,407 | June 13 | June 15 | [34] | |
| Bitter | San Luis Obispo | 1,651 | June 14 | June 15 | [35] | |
| Monte | San Diego | 1,051 | June 17 | June 26 | [36] | |
| Wolf | Riverside | 2,387 | June 29 | July 15 | Burned in the San Jacinto Mountains. Caused evacuations for parts of Banning and nearby areas as well as the closure of a portion of State Route 243. Injured three firefighters. | [37] |
| Green | Shasta | 19,022 | July 1 | August 17 | Lightning-caused. Burned in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. | [38] |
| Madre | San Luis Obispo | 80,779 | July 2 | July 26 | Began along and caused the closure of State Route 166. Prompted evacuations for parts of California Valley. Destroyed an outbuilding and injured two firefighters. | [39] |
| Butler | Siskiyou, Humboldt | 21,058 | July 3 | August 15 | Lightning-caused. Caused evacuations for the community of Forks of Salmon and surrounding areas. Part of the Orleans Complex. | [40] |
| Dale | Riverside | 1,096 | July 16 | July 22 | [41] | |
| Mammoth | Modoc | 2,533 | July 25 | July 31 | Burned in the Modoc National Forest. | [42] |
| Gifford | San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara |
131,614 | August 1 | September 28 | Burned in the Los Padres National Forest. Destroyed five structures and caused 18 injuries. | [43] |
| Gold | San Bernardino | 1,036 | August 4 | August 28 | Burned near Holcomb Valley. | [44] |
| Rosa | Riverside | 1,671 | August 4 | August 12 | Prompted evacuations for Ribbonwood, Pinyon Pines, and other nearby areas. Destroyed 2 structures. | [45] |
| Camp Pendleton | San Diego | 1,000 | August 5 | August 7 | Burned in Camp Pendleton. All units released from the fire on August 6. | [46] |
| Canyon | Los Angeles, Ventura | 5,370 | August 7 | August 14 | Destroyed 7 structures near Hasley Canyon. Caused the evacuation of approximately 4,200 residents. | [47][48] |
| Pickett | Napa | 6,819 | August 21 | September 7 | Burned in North Calistoga. Prompted evacuations for at least seventy residents. | [49][50] |
| Little | Kern | 2,506 | August 22 | September 5 | Burned along State Route 178 southwest of Lake Isabella. | [51] |
| Garnet | Fresno | 60,263 | August 24 | September 25 | Lightning-caused. Burned north of the Kings River in Sierra National Forest. | [52] |
| Dillon | Siskiyou | 11,929 | August 25 | November 7 | Caused the closure of State Route 96 in Klamath National Forest. | [53] |
| Log | Siskiyou | 1,170 | August 26 | October 2 | Lightning-caused. Burned in the Marble Mountain Wilderness. | [54] |
| Blue | Siskiyou | 3,713 | August 26 | October 11 | Lightning-caused. Burned nine miles (14 km) east of Happy Camp and prompted evacuation orders for the Seiad Valley area. | [55] |
| Salt | Fresno, Kings, Monterey | 25,580 | September 2 | September 12 | Also known as the 14-2 Fire. Burned in the southern Diablo Range. | [56] |
| 2-2 | Calaveras, Stanislaus | 3,462 | September 2 | September 5 | Lightning-caused. Part of the TCU September Lightning Complex. | [57] |
| 6-5 | Tuolumne | 6,935 | September 2 | September 13 | Lightning-caused. Destroyed 95 structures, mostly in Chinese Camp. Part of the TCU September Lightning Complex. | [58] |
| 6-2 | Tuolumne | 1,025 | September 2 | September 12 | Lightning-caused. Part of the TCU September Lightning Complex. | [59] |
| 2-8 | Calaveras | 1,340 | September 2 | September 9 | Lightning-caused. Part of the TCU September Lightning Complex. | [60] |
| Marmon | Fresno | 1,034 | September 2 | September 5 | [61] | |
| 1-4 | Mariposa | 4,451 | September 2 | September 7 | Burned near Raymond. | [62] |
| Pack | Mono | 1,974 | November 13 | December 3 | Burned near Crowley Lake and prompted evacuations. Destroyed thirty structures and damaged six others. | [63] |
See also
- 2025 United States wildfires
- January 2025 Southern California wildfires
- FireAid, January 2025 benefit concert for relief efforts for the Los Angeles wildfires
- January 2025 Southern California wildfires
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.[15]
