# 2021 California wildfires

"none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]]
By the end of 2021, a total of 7,396 wildfires burned 2,569,386 acres (1,039,794 ha) across the U.S. state of California. Approximately 3,629 structures were damaged or destroyed by the wildfires, and three firefighters died during the wildfire season.
The wildfire season in California experienced an unusually early start amid an ongoing drought and historically low rainfall and reservoir levels. In January 2021 alone, 297 fires burned 1,171 acres (4.74 km$^2$) on nonfederal land according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, which is almost triple the number of fires and more than 20 times the acreage of the five-year average for January. The January fires were exacerbated by unseasonably strong Santa Ana winds, and some of them burned in the same areas as previous fires like the CZU Lightning Complex.
The long term trend is that wildfires in the state are increasing due to climate change in California. The 2021 wildfire season was exceptionally severe in California, although it did not approach the extent of the previous year's wildfire season, which was the largest season in the state's recorded history. As of July 11, more than three times as many acres have burned compared to the previous year through that date, with drought, extreme heat, and reduced snowpack contributing to the severity of the fires. The state also faces an increased risk of post-wildfire landslides.
As of August 18, 2021, the state of California was facing "unprecedented fire conditions" as multiple fires including the Dixie Fire, McFarland Fire, Caldor Fire, and others, raged on. The USDA Forest Service temporarily closed all of California's national forests at the end of August to mitigate the impact of potential fires.
On October 18, 2021, much of the state—particularly Northern California, where the majority of the significant fires had been located—received its first major precipitation since the start of the wildfire season. This significantly lowered wildfire risk in the region.

## Impact

PG&E and other utility companies preemptively spent billions of dollars to reduce the risk of wildfires and avoid an year similar to the previous year's fire season. Firefighters have also set prescribed fires to prevent other fires burning. During evacuations from the Lava Fire, an illegal marijuana farmer was shot and killed by police after brandishing a firearm at authorities, while "defending his farm".
A 2023 study found that these wildfires are affecting the California ecosystem and disrupting the habitats. It found that in the 2020 and 2021 fire seasons 58% of the area affected by wildfires occurred in those two seasons since 2012. These two fires destroyed 30% of the habitat of 50 species as well as 100 species that had 10% of their habitats burn. 5-14% of the species' habitats burned at a "high severity."

## List of wildfires

The following is a list of fires that burned more than 1,000 acres (400 ha), or produced significant structural damage or casualties.
| Name | County | Acres | Start date | Containment date | Notes |
| Owens | Kern | 1,512 | May 1 | May 7 | Unknown cause |
| Southern | San Diego | 5,366 | May 2 | May 6 | 4 structures destroyed |
| Palisades | Los Angeles | 1,202 | May 14 | May 26 | Human-caused, suspected arson; 1 firefighter injured |
| Sargents | Monterey | 1,100 | May 30 | June 2 | Unknown cause |
| Sierra | San Diego | 1,000 | June 9 | June 12 | |
| Willow | Monterey | 2,877 | June 17 | July 12 | Unknown cause |
| Mojave | San Bernardino | 2,490 | June 17 | June 26 | Caused by lightning |
| Nettle | Tulare | 1,265 | June 18 | July 2 | |
| Henry | Alpine | 1,320 | June 24 | July 27 | Caused by lightning |
| Lava | Siskiyou | 26,409 | June 25 | September 3 | Caused by lightning; 23 structures destroyed; 1 structure damaged; 6 firefighters injured |
| Shell | Kern | 1,984 | June 27 | July 2 | Caused by a car fire |
| Tennant | Siskiyou | 10,580 | June 28 | July 12 | Unknown cause; 9 structures destroyed |
| Salt | Shasta | 12,660 | June 30 | July 19 | Caused by hot material falling off of a vehicle; 43 structures destroyed |
| East Fork | Alpine | 1,136 | July 1 | July 11 | Caused by lightning |
| Beckwourth Complex | Plumas, Lassen | 105,670 | July 3 | September 22 | Caused by lightning; includes the Dotta Fire and the Sugar Fire; 148 structures destroyed; 23 structures damaged |
| Tamarack | Alpine, Mono, Douglas (NV) | 68,637 | July 4 | October 8 | Caused by lightning; 25 structures destroyed; 7 structures damaged |
| Juniper | Modoc | 1,011 | July 5 | July 13 | Unknown cause |
| River | Mariposa, Madera | 9,656 | July 11 | July 19 | Unknown cause; 12 structures destroyed; 2 structures damaged |
| Dexter | Mono | 2,965 | July 12 | July 27 | Caused by lightning |
| Dixie | Butte, Lassen, Plumas, Shasta, Tehama | 963,309 | July 13 | October 25 | Caused by contact between tree and power lines; 1,329 structures destroyed; 95 structures damaged; 1 firefighter fatality; 3 firefighter injuries. Merged with the Fly Fire on July 24. Second-largest wildfire and the largest single (non-complex) wildfire in recorded California history |
| Peak | Kern | 2,098 | July 20 | August 12 | Unknown cause; 1 structure destroyed |
| Fly | Plumas | 4,300 | July 22 | October 25 | Unknown cause; merged with the Dixie Fire on July 24 |
| McFarland | Shasta, Tehama, Trinity | 122,653 | July 29 | September 16 | Caused by lightning; 46 structures destroyed; 1 structure damaged; 6 firefighters injured |
| Monument | Trinity | 223,124 | July 30 | October 25 | Caused by lightning; 52 structures destroyed; 3 structures damaged |
| River Complex | Siskiyou, Trinity | 199,359 | July 30 | October 25 | Caused by lightning; 122 structures destroyed; 2 structures damaged; consists of 22 fires, of which the largest are the Haypress Fire, the Summer Fire, and the Cronan Fire |
| McCash | Siskiyou | 94,962 | July 31 | October 27 | Caused by lightning; 1 firefighter fatality |
| Tiltill | Tuolumne | 2,323 | July 31 | October 15 | Caused by lightning |
| Antelope | Siskiyou | 145,632 | August 1 | October 15 | Caused by lightning; 18 structures destroyed; 4 structures destroyed |
| River | Nevada, Placer | 2,619 | August 4 | August 13 | Unknown cause; 142 structures destroyed; 21 structures damaged; 4 injuries |
| Caldor | El Dorado, Amador, Alpine | 221,835 | August 15 | October 21 | Unknown cause; 1,003 structures destroyed; 81 structures damaged; 5 injuries |
| Walkers | Tulare | 8,777 | August 14 | September 18 | Caused by lightning |
| French | Kern | 26,535 | August 18 | October 19 | Human-caused; 49 structures destroyed; 6 structures damaged; 1 firefighter fatality |
| South | San Bernardino | 819 | August 25 | September 1 | Unknown cause; 17 structures destroyed |
| Chaparral | San Diego, Riverside | 1,427 | August 28 | September 9 | Unknown cause; 3 structures destroyed |
| Knob | Humboldt | 2,421 | August 29 | September 12 | Unknown cause |
| Windy | Tulare | 97,528 | September 9 | November 15 | Caused by lightning; 128 structures destroyed; 4 injuries |
| KNP Complex | Tulare | 88,307 | September 10 | December 16 | Caused by lightning; includes the Colony Fire and the Paradise Fire; 4 structures destroyed; 1 structure damaged |
| Fawn | Shasta | 8,578 | September 22 | October 2 | Suspected arson; 185 structures destroyed; 26 structures damaged; 3 injuries |
| Alisal | Santa Barbara | 16,970 | October 11 | November 16 | Unknown cause; 12 structures destroyed |

## Wildfires listed by month

| Month | Number of wildfires |
| January | 10 |
| February | 0 |
| March | 3 |
| April | 10 |
| May | 24 |
| June | 51 |
| July | 36 |
| August | 27 |
| September | 14 |
| October | 9 |
| November | 1 |
| December | 0 |
| Source | Cal Fire incidents 2021 |

## Gallery of maps

* Maps of significant wildfires in 2021 in California
* Dixie Fire
* McCash Fire
* River Fire
* Caldor Fire
* Windy Fire
* KNP Complex Fire
* Fawn Fire