# 2015 California wildfires

"none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]]
By the end of 2015 a total of 8,745 wildfires were recorded across the state of California, burning 893,362 acres (3,615 km$^2$). Approximately 3,159 structures were damaged or destroyed by wildfires, and at least 7 fatalities were recorded.
On September 11, after the Butte Fire exploded from a size of 32,000 acres (129 km$^2$) to 65,000 acres (263 km$^2$), in the Amador and Calaveras counties, Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency.

## Nationwide fire season

The National Interagency Fire Center reported in mid-August that the 2015 fire season had been the most destructive since 2011. Nationwide, a total of 6,058,694 acres (24,519 km$^2$) had burned, which is roughly triple the total land area burned from the same time span in 2014. By the end of August, in terms of the land area burned, the 2015 nationwide wildfire season had surpassed any other wildfire season in the last 10 years, with 7,825,559 acres (31,669 km$^2$) burned.

## Fatalities

The season also proved to be a deadly one for firefighters battling the many blazes throughout the state. A United States Forest Service member from South Dakota died on July 31 from carbon monoxide poisoning, while battling the Frog Fire in the Modoc National Forest. A second firefighter was killed on August 8 by a falling tree, while battling the Sierra Fire south of Echo Summit. A 72-year-old disabled woman was killed in her home by the fast-moving Valley Fire.

## List of wildfires

Below is a list of all fires that exceeded 1,000 acres (400 ha) during the 2015 California wildfire season, as well as the fires that caused significant damage. The information is taken from CAL FIRE's list of large fires, and other sources where indicated.
| Name | County | Acres | Km$^2$ | Start Date | Containment Date | Notes |
| Round | Inyo | 7,000 | 28.3 | February 6, 2015 | February 12, 2015 | |
| Highway | Riverside | 1,049 | 4.2 | April 18, 2015 | April 24, 2015 | |
| Lake | San Bernardino | 31,359 | 126.9 | June 17, 2015 | August 1, 2015 | |
| Park Hill | San Luis Obispo | 1,791 | 7.2 | June 20, 2015 | June 24, 2015 | |
| North | San Bernardino | 4,250 | 17.2 | July 17, 2015 | July 21, 2015 | 7 houses and 44 vehicles destroyed |
| Wragg | Napa | 8,051 | 32.6 | July 22, 2015 | August 6, 2015 | |
| Rocky | Lake, Colusa, Yolo | 69,438 | 281.0 | July 29, 2015 | August 14, 2015 | 96 structures destroyed |
| Fork Complex | Shasta | 36,503 | 147.7 | July 30, 2015 | November 3, 2015 | |
| River Complex | Trinity | 77,081 | 311.9 | July 30, 2015 | October 29, 2015 | |
| Frog | Lassen | 4,863 | 19.7 | July 30, 2015 | August 20, 2015 | 1 firefighter killed |
| Humboldt Lightning | Humboldt | 4,883 | 19.8 | July 30, 2015 | August 19, 2015 | |
| Mad River Complex | Humboldt | 73,137 | 296.0 | July 30, 2015 | September 13, 2015 | includes Route Complex Fire |
| Rough | Fresno | 151,623 | 613.6 | July 31, 2015 | November 5, 2015 | |
| Dodge | Lassen | 10,570 | 42.8 | August 3, 2015 | August 17, 2015 | |
| Gasquet | Del Norte | 30,361 | 122.9 | August 3, 2015 | October 15, 2015 | Fires: Feeder (100%), Coon (100%), Bear (100%) and Peak (100% containment) |
| Jerusalem | Lake, Napa | 25,118 | 101.6 | August 9, 2015 | August 25, 2015 | |
| Cabin | Glendora | 1,723 | 7.0 | August 14, 2015 | November 20, 2015 | 5 structures destroyed |
| Cuesta | San Luis Obispo | 2,446 | 9.9 | August 16, 2015 | August 28, 2015 | |
| Tesla | Alameda | 2,700 | 10.9 | August 19, 2015 | August 22, 2015 | |
| Butte | Amador | 70,868 | 286.8 | September 9, 2015 | October 1, 2015 | 2 civilians fatalities 475 residences & 343 outbuildings destroyed |
| Valley | Lake | 76,067 | 307.8 | September 12, 2015 | October 15, 2015 | 4 civilian fatalities, 1,955 structures destroyed; 6th most destructive wildfire in modern California history (as of 2022) |
| Tassajara | Monterey | 1,086 | 4.4 | September 19, 2015 | September 27, 2015 | 1 civilian fatality |
| Solimar | Ventura | 1,388 | 5.6 | December 25, 2015 | December 29, 2015 | 1 minor ankle injury |

## Gallery of maps

* Maps of significant wildfires in 2015 in California
* Rocky Fire
* Rough Fire
* Butte Fire