Windy Fire

Windy Fire
The Windy Fire burns at the base of a giant sequoia near the Trail of 100 Giants
Date(s)	September 9 (9-09) – November 11, 2021 (2021-11-11) (64 days)
Location	Tulare County, Central California, United States
Coordinates	36°03′29″N 118°37′30″W / 36.058°N 118.625°W / 36.058; -118.625
Statistics[1]
Burned area	97,528 acres (39,468 ha; 152 sq mi; 395 km2)
Impacts
Non-fatal injuries	≥4
Evacuated	>200
Structures destroyed	128
Damage	$78.4 million
Ignition
Cause	Lightning
Map
The Windy Fire's perimeter (orange) was mostly in Sequoia National Forest (green)
The general location of the Windy Fire in central California

The 2021 Windy Fire was a large wildfire in the Sequoia National Forest in Central California's Tulare County. Ignited by a lightning strike in the southern Sierra Nevada on September 9, the fire burned 97,528 acres (39,468 ha) over the course of a month, threatening communities like Ponderosa and Johnsondale. Multiple atmospheric rivers in October and November eventually subdued the fire, which was declared fully contained in mid-November. Total firefighting costs came to $78.4 million. The Windy Fire was the eight-largest fire of California's 2021 wildfire season.

Though it destroyed 128 structures, the Windy Fire was also notable for its major impacts on the endangered giant sequoia population, which grows in less than a hundred natural groves on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada. The National Park Service estimated that the Windy Fire killed 900–1,300 large giant sequoias, part of a significant toll that high-severity wildfires have taken on the species in the 21st century. The KNP Complex Fire, which burned contemporaneously, burned 88,307 acres (35,737 ha) and killed up to 2,400 more large giant sequoias in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. The two fires are estimated to have killed as much as 3–5 percent of the total population of large giant sequoias.