August Complex fire

For the 2017 fire of a similar name, see Salmon August Complex Fire.

August Complex fire
Part of the August 2020 California lightning siege
The smoke plumes of the August Complex Fires.
Date(s)
  • August 16, 2020 (2020-08-16) –
  • November 12, 2020 (2020-11-12)
LocationNorthern California
Coordinates39°45′54″N 122°40′23″W / 39.765°N 122.673°W / 39.765; -122.673
Statistics[1][2]
Total fires37
Total area1,032,648 acres (417,898 ha)
Impacts
Deaths1 firefighter[3]
Non-fatal injuries2 firefighters[3]
Structures destroyed935[4]
Damage>$319.8 million (2020 USD)[4]
Ignition
CauseLightning strikes
Map
Map
Perimeter of August Complex fire
August Complex fire is located in Northern California
August Complex fire
Location of August Complex fire in Northern California
2020 Western U.S. wildfires
Multiple wildfires burning near the Pacific coast of the U.S. on September 9, 2020
Affected states
Background
Largest wildfire by state
  • Arizona - Bush (193,455 acres)
  • California - August Complex (1,032,648 acres)
  • Colorado - Cameron Peak (208,913 acres)
  • Nevada - Meadow Valley (59,265 acres)
  • New Mexico - Cub (25,950 acres)
  • Oregon - Santiam (402,274 acres)
  • Utah - East Fork (89,765 acres)
  • Washington - Pearl Hill (223,730 acres)

The August Complex was a massive wildfire that burned in the Coast Range of Northern California, in Glenn, Lake, Mendocino, Tehama, Trinity, and Shasta Counties. The complex originated as 38 separate fires started by lightning strikes on August 16–17, 2020. Four of the largest fires, the Doe, Tatham, Glade, and Hull fires, had burned together by August 30. On September 9, the Doe Fire, the main fire of the August Complex, surpassed the 2018 Mendocino Complex to become both the single-largest wildfire and the largest fire complex in recorded California history.[5] On September 10, the combined Doe Fire also merged with the Elkhorn Fire (originally a separate incident) and the Hopkins Fire, growing substantially in size. By the time it was extinguished on November 12, the August Complex fire had burned a total of 1,032,648 acres (417,898 ha), or 1,614 square miles (4,180 km2),[5] about 1% of California's 100 million acres of land, an area larger than the state of Rhode Island.[6]

The fire largely burned within the Mendocino National Forest, with portions spilling over to the Shasta-Trinity National Forest and Six Rivers National Forest in the north, as well as private land surrounding the forests. Large areas of the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness and Yuki Wilderness had also been burned. Rugged terrain combined with consistent high winds and record heat had complicated firefighting efforts. Although more than 2,900 personnel were deployed to the fire through mid-September, it took almost three months to fully contain the fire.[1] The U.S. Forest Service managed the firefighting effort, with assistance from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Due to the immense size of the affected area, the fire was managed as four separate incidents (initially three) within a larger complex. The Doe Fire was defined as the August Complex South Zone and the Elkhorn Fire was defined as the August Complex North Zone, which was later divided into the August Complex Northwest Zone and the August Complex Northeast Zone.[7][8][5] The August Complex West Zone was split off from the western portions of the Elkhorn Fire and the Doe Fire, and was managed by Cal Fire.[9]

Due to the remote location of the fire, there were no civilian fatalities, while 935 structures were reported destroyed. However, firefighter Diana Jones was killed,[10] and at least two others were seriously injured.[7]

  1. ^ a b United States Forest Service (January 6, 2021). "August Complex Information". National Wildfire Coordinating Group. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Elkhorn Fire was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Solis, Suzanne Espinosa (September 1, 2020). "One firefighter killed in Mendocino County wildfire, second firefighter injured". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on September 3, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  4. ^ a b 2020 National Large Incident Year-to-Date Report (PDF). Geographic Area Coordination Center (Report). National Interagency Fire Center. December 21, 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 29, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c "Top 20 Largest California Wildfires" (PDF). CAL FIRE. November 3, 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  6. ^ Moffitt, Mike (September 14, 2020). "August Complex Fire threatens Emerald Triangle, U.S.'s largest cannabis region". SFGate. Archived from the original on September 15, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  7. ^ a b Luke Money and Joseph Serna (September 10, 2020). "Massive August fire now largest in California history, at 471,000 acres and counting". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 11, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  8. ^ Michele Chandler (September 11, 2020). "What we know Thursday about North State fires: Elkhorn merges with August Complex to create 726K-acre monster". Redding Record Searchlight. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Sept12 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Kreider, Courtney (September 1, 2020). "Texas Volunteer Firefighter dies battling the August Complex". KRCR. Retrieved August 2, 2024.