page_title: Mendocino Complex Fire
section_title: August
hierarchical_section_title: Mendocino Complex Fire / Timeline / August
caption_attribution_description: English: Satellite image of the Mendocino Complex Fire in California entering its 19th day and still growing in size, with the burned lands showing in dark red-brown colors below the contrasting smoke and untouched lands in this NASA Earth-observing satellite image. The burn area to the south is the smaller River Fire, while the active, larger burn area to the north is the Ranch Fire, which is California's single largest recorded wildfire.
context_page_description: The Mendocino Complex Fire was the largest recorded fire complex in California history. It was a large complex of two wildfires, the River Fire and Ranch Fire, which burned in Mendocino, Lake, Colusa, and Glenn Counties in the U.S. State of California, with the Ranch Fire being California's single-largest recorded wildfire. The Ranch Fire burned eight miles northeast of Ukiah, and the River Fire burned six miles north of Hopland, to the south of the larger Ranch Fire. First reported on July 27, 2018, both fires burned a combined total of 459,123 acres, before they were collectively 100% contained on September 18; the Ranch Fire alone burned 410,203 acres, surpassing the Thomas Fire to become the single-largest modern California wildfire. The Ranch Fire also surpassed the size of the 315,577-acre Rush Fire, which burned across California and Nevada, as well as the Santiago Canyon Fire of 1889, which was previously believed to have been California's all-time largest wildfire. The fires collectively destroyed 280 structures while damaging 37 others; causing at least $267 million in damages, including $56 million in insured property damage and $201 million in fire suppression costs.
context_section_description: The two fires continued to burn into August, with the Ranch Fire at 59,014 acres (239 km²) and the River Fire at 31,898 acres (129 km²) on August 1. The Ranch Fire remained at 15 percent containment, while the River Fire was at 38 percent containment. Containment line improvement remained the focus of fire crews, with some crews directly fighting the fire when conditions permitted. Additional crew support arrived from the US Forest Service. Throughout the day, both fires grew, with the Ranch Fire burning into the Mendocino National Forest and south of Lake Pillsbury. Overnight, the fires remained most active in higher elevations. By the morning of August 2, the two fires had burned a combined total of 110,168 acres (446 km²) and were 39 percent contained. Mandatory evacuations were put in place in Western Lake County, particularly for areas west of Lucerne and north of Clear Lake. On the evening of August 4, the combined acreage was 229,000 acres. By the morning of August 5, the combined acreage was 271,172 acres (1,097 km²), with 152 buildings destroyed. On the morning of August 6, the combined acreage was 273,664 acres (1,107 km²), with 169 buildings damaged or destroyed. By the night of August 6, the combined acreage of the Mendocino Complex Fire was 283,800 acres (1,148 km²), surpassing the Thomas Fire, and becoming the largest wildfire complex in modern California history.
  On August 7, 2018, officials announced that they predicted the Mendocino Complex would last through August and into early September, compared to the earlier prediction of mid-August. By then, the fire complex had destroyed 143 structures, 75 of them residences. By late August 7, the fire complex was 34% contained. Of the two fires, the Ranch and River Fires, the River Fire was 78% contained, while Ranch Fire was only 20% contained, with flames on the northern flank still pushing towards Snow Mountain Wilderness.
  By the night of August 7, the combined acreage was 283,800 acres (1,148 km²), with 169 buildings damaged or destroyed. By the morning of August 8, the fire had destroyed 221 buildings, while damaging another 27. By Wednesday morning, on August 8, 2018, the Mendocino Complex Fire had burned 300,086 acres (1,214 km²) and was 47% contained. Cal Fire estimated that containing the entire fire complex could take until September 1, over a month after it ignited on July 27. By Thursday, August 9, 2018, the total area burned had grown to 302,086 acres. By Saturday morning, on August 11, 2018, the Mendocino Complex Fire had burned 325,226 acres (1,316 km²), was 67% contained, and had destroyed 258 buildings. On the morning of Sunday, August 12, the Ranch Fire grew to 282,479 acres (1,143.15 km²) and was only 62% contained, surpassing the Thomas Fire as California's single-largest modern wildfire. Meanwhile, the River Fire remained at 48,920 acres (198.0 km²), with 93% containment, with the Mendocino Complex Fire having burned a total of 331,399 acres (1,341.12 km²).
  During the evening of Monday, August 13, the River Fire was fully contained at 48,920 acres (198.0 km²), leaving the Ranch Fire as the only active fire within the Mendocino Complex. However, the larger Ranch Fire continued to expand. By the evening of August 14, the Ranch Fire had grown to 305,990 acres (1,238.3 km²), with only 64% containment, increasing the size of the Mendocino Complex Fire to 354,910 acres (1,436.3 km²), with a collective containment of 64%. Around that time, it was reported that the Ranch Fire had killed a firefighter from Utah. On August 16, the Ranch Fire grew to 317,117 acres (1,283.33 km²), increasing the total burn area of the Mendocino Complex Fire to 366,037 acres (1,481.30 km²); this allowed the Ranch Fire to surpass the size of the massive Rush Fire in 2012, which burned across California into Nevada, as well as the Santiago Canyon Fire of 1889, which was believed to have been California's all-time largest wildfire, estimated at about 300,000 acres (1,200 km²). By the morning of August 18, the Ranch Fire had reached 331,770 acres (1,342.6 km²), with 76% con
caption: Satellite image of the Ranch Fire on August 15, 2018.
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