Camp Fire (2018)

This article is about the 2018 wildfire in Northern California. For the controlled fire at a campsite, see Campfire.

Camp Fire
The Camp Fire as seen from the Landsat 8 satellite on November 8, 2018, with red highlighting active fire seen in infrared light
Date(s)
  • November 8 (8-11) –
  • November 25, 2018 (2018-11-25)
  • (18 days)
Location
Coordinates39°48′37″N 121°26′14″W / 39.81028°N 121.43722°W / 39.81028; -121.43722
Statistics
Burned area153,336 acres (62,053 ha; 240 sq mi; 621 km2)[1]
Impacts
Deaths85[2]
Non-fatal injuries17[3]
Missing people1[2]
Evacuated52,000 people[4]
Structures destroyed18,804
Damage$16.65 billion (2018 USD) (Costliest worldwide)[5][6][7][8][9]
Ignition
CauseElectrical transmission fire from a PG&E power line[10]
Map
The footprint of the Camp Fire, which burned from the Feather River Canyon to Highway 99
The footprint of the Camp Fire, which burned from the Feather River Canyon to Highway 99
Camp Fire (2018) is located in California
Camp Fire (2018)
The fire's general location in Butte County, Northern California
Map
Interactive map of the Camp Fire perimeter

The 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California's Butte County was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California's history. The fire began on the morning of Thursday, November 8, 2018, when part of a poorly maintained Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) transmission line in the Feather River Canyon failed during strong katabatic winds. Those winds rapidly drove the Camp Fire through the communities of Concow, Magalia, Butte Creek Canyon, and Paradise, largely destroying them. The fire burned for another two weeks, and was contained on Sunday, November 25, after burning 153,336 acres (62,050 ha). The Camp Fire caused 85 fatalities, displaced more than 50,000 people, and destroyed more than 18,000 structures, causing an estimated $16.5 billion in damage. It was the most expensive natural disaster (by insured losses) of 2018.

PG&E filed for bankruptcy in January 2019, citing expected wildfire liabilities of $30 billion. On December 6, 2019, the utility made a settlement offer of $13.5 billion for the wildfire victims; the offer covered several devastating fires caused by the utility, including the Camp Fire. On June 16, 2020, the utility pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter.

  1. ^ "Camp Fire". fire.ca.gov. CAL FIRE. November 15, 2019. Archived from the original on September 8, 2020. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "List of Missing in Camp Fire Down to 1". FOX40. Associated Press. August 2, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  3. ^ "Five firefighters among dozen-plus patients burned in Camp Fire". Sfchronicle.com. November 15, 2018.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference McBride_Gutierrez_Asimov_11/11/2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Williams, Sean (January 18, 2019). "PG&E's Bankruptcy Will Be Costlier Than You Realize". Fool.com. The Motley Fool. Archived from the original on January 19, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  6. ^ Efstathiou, Jim Jr.; Varghese, Romy (January 14, 2019). "A PG&E Bankruptcy May Be What California Needs for a Utility Fix". Bloomberg News. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  7. ^ Reyes-Velarde, Alejandra (January 11, 2019). "California's Camp fire was the costliest global disaster last year, insurance report shows". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  8. ^ Johnson, Alex (January 13, 2019). "Head of California electric utility quits amid fallout from deadly wildfires". NBC News. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  9. ^ Joe Dworetzky; Irena Fischer-Hwang; Jay Harris; Hannah Knowles; Emily Surgent (December 18, 2018). "Wildland Development Escalates California Fire Costs". KQED. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  10. ^ Robertson, Adi (May 15, 2019). "Investigators confirm that PG&E power lines started the deadly Camp Fire". The Verge.