King Fire

King Fire
A night-time scene shows a firefighter is silhouetted bottom right against a stand of dark conifer trees, one of them completely ablaze
A USFS firefighter watches the King Fire torching trees near Pollock Pines on September 14, 2014
Date(s)
  • September 13 (13-09) –
  • October 9, 2014 (2014-10-09)
  • (27 days)
Location
Coordinates38°46′55″N 120°36′14″W / 38.782°N 120.604°W / 38.782; -120.604
Statistics[1][2][3]
Burned area97,717 acres (39,545 ha; 153 sq mi; 395 km2)
Impacts
Deaths0
Non-fatal injuries12
Evacuated2,830
Structures destroyed
  • 12 residences
  • 68 outbuildings
Damage
  • $117 million
  • (equivalent to about $148 million in 2023)
Ignition
CauseArson
Map
The footprint of the King Fire, west of Lake Tahoe and north of U.S. Route 50
The footprint of the King Fire, west of Lake Tahoe and north of U.S. Route 50
King Fire is located in California
King Fire
Location of fire in Northern California

The 2014 King Fire was a large wildfire in El Dorado County, California, which burned 97,717 acres (39,545 hectares) primarily in the Eldorado National Forest. The wildfire started on September 13, 2014, near Pollock Pines, California, to the east of Sacramento. The ensuing fire suppression effort, which cost more than $100 million and engaged more than 8,000 personnel at its peak, allowed for the full containment of the King Fire by October 9, 2014. Despite the size and ferocity of the fire, it caused no deaths. Eighty structures were destroyed, the majority of them outbuildings. The King Fire was determined to have been caused by an act of arson and a suspect was swiftly apprehended and convicted in 2016.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference arson-latimes was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Giant King fire burns 10 homes, could be whipped up as weather shifts". Los Angeles Times. September 21, 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference inciweb was invoked but never defined (see the help page).