2003 California wildfires

2003 California wildfires
Satellite view of the October 2003 wildfires in Southern California, depicting the smoke blowing out over the Pacific Ocean.
Statistics[3][4][1]
Total fires9,116
Total area1,020,460 acres (4,129.7 km2)[1][2]
Impacts
Deaths24 civilians[5]
1 firefighter
Non-fatal injuriesAt least 1 firefighter,[2] 36 civilians
Damage>$2.729 billion (2003 USD)[6][7][3]
Season
← 2002
2004 →

The 2003 California wildfires were a series of wildfires that burned throughout the state of California during the year 2003. In total, 9,116 fires[4] burned 1,020,460 acres (4,129.7 km2).[1][2] In October, a major wildfire outbreak in Southern California burned more than 750,000 acres, destroyed thousands of homes, and killed two dozen people.[8] Many of the victims were killed in their cars while trying to flee.[9][10]

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference large-fires was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Otay Fire was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b "Cedar Fire Memorial". www.lakesidehistory.org. Archived from the original on June 23, 2016. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  4. ^ a b "National Report of Wildland Fires and Acres Burned by State in 2003" (PDF). National Interagency Fire Center. 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 27, 2019. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  5. ^ Jack A. Blackwell; Andrea Tuttle (2004). "California Fire Siege 2003: The Story" (PDF). CalFire. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  6. ^ Dr. Tomas Girnius; Tyler Hauteniemi; Scott Stransky (August 2008). "California Wildfire: How Large Can The Losses Be?" (PDF). AIRCurrents. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 12, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  7. ^ "CDF 2003 Fire Season Summary" (PDF). CalFire. May 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  8. ^ California Fire Siege 2003: The Story (PDF) (Report). California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 24, 2007. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  9. ^ Mutch, R.W. "FACES: The Story of the Victims of Southern California‘s 2003 Fire Siege", by Robert W. Mutch; Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center; July 2007.
  10. ^ USDA "The 2003 San Diego County Fire Siege Fire safety Review"; USDA Forest Service; 2003.