Chips Fire

Chips Fire
Refer to caption.
The Chips Fire producing a large smoke column on August 2, 2012
Date(s)
  • July 29 (29-07)
  • August 31, 2012 (2012-08-31)
  • (34 days)
LocationPlumas County, Northern California, United States
Coordinates40°00′36″N 121°16′41″W / 40.01°N 121.278°W / 40.01; -121.278[1]
Statistics
Burned area75,431 acres (30,526 ha; 118 sq mi; 305 km2)
Impacts
Structures destroyed9
Damage
  • $55 million
  • (equivalent to about $72.2 million in 2023)
Ignition
CauseHuman-caused
Map
Refer to caption
The Chips Fire burned in the North Fork Feather River Canyon, south of Lake Almanor
Refer to caption.
Refer to caption.
The fire burned in the northern Sierra Nevada, affecting Plumas and Lassen counties

The 2012 Chips Fire was a large wildfire in California's Plumas County. After igniting on July 29, the fire burned for 33 days and consumed 75,431 acres (30,526 hectares), or more than 118 square miles (310 square kilometres), before it was fully contained on August 31.[2] In the process it became the second-largest fire of California's 2012 wildfire season after the Rush Fire in Lassen County.

The Chips Fire burned in the northern Sierra Nevada, primarily impacting Plumas National Forest and private timberlands. While the fire threatened nearby communities, such as Belden and Prattville, it only destroyed nine structures. The cost of the firefighting effort was estimated at $55 million. The fire started directly adjacent to the Pacific Crest Trail and was determined to have been human-caused, but no specific cause or perpetrator was ever determined.[3]

  1. ^ "Chips Fire: Incident Overview". InciWeb. September 18, 2012. Archived from the original on September 25, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  2. ^ "Chips Fire Incident Report". California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. August 31, 2012. Archived from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).