# 2007 California wildfires

At least 9,093 separate wildfires charred 1,520,362 acres (6,152.69 km$^2$) of land in the US state of California in 2007. Thirty of those wildfires were part of the Fall 2007 California firestorm, which burned approximately 972,147 acres (about 3,934 km$^2$, or 1,520 mi$^2$) of land from Santa Barbara County to the U.S.–Mexico border. At the peak of the wildfire activity in October 2007, the raging wildfires were visible from space.
The wildfires killed a total of 17 people, with nine of them dying directly from the fires; 203 others were injured, including at least 124 firefighters.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in seven California counties where fires were burning. President George W. Bush concurred, and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts. Over 6,000 firefighters worked to fight the blazes; they were aided by units of the United States Armed Forces, United States National Guard, almost 3,000 prisoners convicted of non-violent crimes, and 60 firefighters from the Mexican cities of Tijuana and Tecate. The fires forced approximately 1,000,000 people to evacuate from their homes, becoming the largest evacuation in California's history.
Major contributing factors to the extreme fire conditions were drought in Southern California, hot weather, and the unusually strong Santa Ana winds, with gusts reaching 112 mph (180 km/h). California's "fire season," which traditionally runs from June to October, has become a year-round threat, due to a mixture of perennial drought and the increasing number of homes built in canyons and on hillsides, surrounded by brush and forest.
The fires had numerous sources. Several were triggered by power lines damaged by the high winds. One fire started when a semi-truck overturned. Another was suspected as having been deliberately caused; the suspect was shot and killed in flight by state authorities. A 10-year-old boy admitted that he accidentally started the Buckweed Fire by playing with matches. The causes of the remaining fires remain under investigation. The last active fire of the October 2007 fires, the Harris Fire, was fully extinguished on November 16, 2007, about 27 days after the series of wildfires had begun to ignite. The October 2007 wildfires collectively caused over $2 billion in property damages.
During the season, the National Interagency Fire Center reported that two firefighters were killed. One died in a helicopter crash, and the second was killed in a bulldozer rollover.

## Fires

Below is a list of all fires that exceeded 1,000 acres (4.0 km$^2$) during the 2007 fire season. The list is taken from CAL FIRE's list of large fires.
| Name | County | Acres | Km$^2$ | Start Date | Contained Date | Notes |
| 241 | Orange | 2,036 | 8.2 | March 11, 2007 | March 13, 2007 | 2 structures destroyed |
| Sierra | Riverside | 1,044 | 4.2 | March 11, 2007 | March 12, 2007 | |
| Las Flores | San Bernardino | 4,100 | 16.6 | March 31, 2007 | April 1, 2007 | 1 structure destroyed |
| Golden | Inyo | 1,988 | 8.0 | April 14, 2007 | April 15, 2007 | |
| James | Kern | 1,350 | 5.5 | April 29, 2007 | May 5, 2007 | |
| Island | Los Angeles | 4,750 | 19.2 | May 10, 2007 | May 15, 2007 | 6 structures destroyed |
| Gorman | Los Angeles | 2,050 | 8.3 | May 19, 2007 | May 22, 2007 | |
| Shannon | Tulare | 2,140 | 8.7 | June 3, 2007 | June 4, 2007 | |
| Goldledge | Tulare | 4,196 | 17.0 | June 3, 2007 | June 28, 2007 | |
| Inkopah | Imperial | 1,500 | 6.1 | June 5, 2007 | June 6, 2007 | |
| Angora | El Dorado | 3,100 | 12.5 | June 24, 2007 | July 2, 2007 | 309 structures destroyed; cost at least $152.7 million in property damage and fire suppression |
| White | Kern | 12,454 | 50.4 | June 24, 2007 | July 3, 2007 | 31 structures destroyed |
| Mission | Monterey | 2,300 | 9.3 | June 28, 2007 | June 28, 2007 | |
| Zaca | Santa Barbara | 240,207 | 972.1 | July 4, 2007 | September 4, 2007 | 1 structure destroyed |
| Antelope Complex | Plumas | 22,902 | 92.7 | July 5, 2007 | July 13, 2007 | 2 structures destroyed |
| Inyo Complex | Inyo | 35,176 | 142.4 | July 6, 2007 | July 16, 2007 | 33 structures destroyed |
| Rock 2 | Tulare | 1,005 | 4.1 | July 6, 2007 | July 7, 2007 | |
| Fletcher | Modoc | 8,121 | 32.9 | July 10, 2007 | July 19, 2007 | 11 structures destroyed |
| Elk Complex | Siskiyou | 17,684 | 71.6 | July 10, 2007 | September 15, 2007 | 1 firefighter fatality |
| China-Back Complex | Siskiyou | 2,906 | 11.8 | July 13, 2007 | July 21, 2007 | |
| Bangor | Butte | 1,057 | 4.3 | August 7, 2007 | August 7, 2007 | |
| Tar | Kings | 5,644 | 22.8 | August 10, 2007 | August 19, 2007 | |
| Grouse | Tulare | 1,022 | 4.1 | August 27, 2007 | September 8, 2007 | |
| Wallow | Trinity | 1,440 | 5.8 | August 29, 2007 | September 3, 2007 | |
| North | Los Angeles | 2,200 | 8.9 | September 2, 2007 | September 8, 2007 | |
| Lick | Santa Clara | 47,760 | 193.3 | September 3, 2007 | September 11, 2007 | 24 structures destroyed |
| Moonlight | Plumas | 64,997 | 263.0 | September 3, 2007 | September 15, 2007 | 21 structures destroyed |
| Pine | San Diego | 2,170 | 8.8 | September 12, 2007 | September 16, 2007 | |
| Butler 2 | San Bernardino | 14,039 | 56.8 | September 14, 2007 | October 1, 2007 | 3 structures destroyed |
| Ranch | Los Angeles | 58,401 | 236.3 | October 20, 2007 | October 30, 2007 | 10 structures destroyed |
| Canyon | Los Angeles | 4,521 | 18.3 | October 21, 2007 | October 27, 2007 | 8 structures destroyed |
| Sedgewick Fire | Santa Barbara | 710 | 2.9 | October 21, 2007 | October 30, 2007 | |
| Harris | San Diego | 90,440 | 366.0 | October 21, 2007 | November 5, 2007 | 472 structures destroyed, 1 civilian fatality |
| Witch | San Diego | 197,990 | 801.2 | October 21, 2007 | November 6, 2007 | 1,650 structures destroyed, 2 civilian fatalities |
| McCoy Fire | San Diego | 400 | 1.6 | October 21, 2007 | October 26, 2007 | 1 structure destroyed |
| Buckweed | Los Angeles | 38,356 | 155.2 | October 21, 2007 | November 1, 2007 | 63 structures destroyed |
| Santiago | Orange | 28,400 | 114.9 | October 21, 2007 | November 9, 2007 | 24 structures destroyed |
| Little Mountain Fire | San Bernardino | 650 | 2.6 | October 22, 2007 | October 24, 2007 | |
| Magic | Los Angeles | 2,824 | 11.4 | October 22, 2007 | October 27, 2007 | |
| Slide | San Bernardino | 12,759 | 51.6 | October 22, 2007 | October 31, 2007 | 272 structures destroyed |
| Rice | San Diego | 9,472 | 38.3 | October 22, 2007 | November 1, 2007 | 248 structures destroyed |
| Grass Valley | San Bernardino | 1,247 | 5.0 | October 22, 2007 | October 29, 2007 | 178 structures destroyed |
| Meadowridge Fire | Los Angeles | 58,401 | 236.3 | October 23, 2007 | October 30, 2007 | |
| Poomacha | San Diego | 49,410 | 200.0 | October 23, 2007 | November 13, 2007 | 217 structures destroyed |
| Ammo (Horno) Fire | San Diego | 21,004 | 85.0 | October 23, 2007 | October 29, 2007 | |
| Jack | Mariposa | 1,108 | 4.5 | October 29, 2007 | December 15, 2007 | |
| Corral | Los Angeles | 4,901 | 19.8 | November 24, 2007 | November 27, 2007 | 86 structures destroyed |