Mendocino Complex Fire

This article is about the 2018 Ranch and River fires. For information about the 2007 Ranch Fire, see October 2007 California wildfires.

Mendocino Complex Fire
Pyrocumulonimbus rising above the Mendocino Complex, as viewed from Ukiah, California, on July 29, 2018
Date(s)
  • July 27, 2018 (2018-07-27) –
  • January 4, 2019 (2019-01-04)
LocationNorthern California, United States
Coordinates39°14′36″N 123°06′12″W / 39.243283°N 123.103367°W / 39.243283; -123.103367
Statistics[1][2][3]
Burned area459,123 acres (1,858 km2)
Impacts
Deaths1 firefighter[4][5]
Non-fatal injuries4 firefighters[5]
Structures destroyed280
Damage≥$257 million (2018 USD)[6][7]
Ignition
CauseRanch Fire caused by a man trying to plug the entrance of a wasp nest with a hammer and stake;[8] River Fire cause undetermined
Map
Mendocino Complex Fire is located in California
Mendocino Complex Fire
Map
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Mendocino Complex Fire
Mendocino Complex
Location of Mendocino Complex Fire
Perimeter of the Mendocino Complex fire

The Mendocino Complex Fire was a large complex of wildfires that burned in northern California for more than three months in 2018.[9] It consisted of two wildfires, the River Fire and Ranch Fire, which burned in Mendocino, Lake, Colusa, and Glenn Counties in California, with the Ranch Fire being California's single-largest recorded wildfire at the time until the August Complex fire in 2020. The Ranch Fire burned eight miles northeast of Ukiah, and the River Fire burned six miles north of Hopland, to the south of the larger Ranch Fire. First reported on July 27, 2018, both fires burned a combined total of 459,123 acres (1,858 km2), before they were collectively 100% contained on September 18,[1] though hotspots persisted until the complex was fully brought under control on January 4, 2019.[3] The Ranch Fire alone burned 410,203 acres (1,660 km2), making it the largest wildfire in modern California history at the time until the August Complex fire that occurred in 2020.[3] The Ranch Fire also surpassed the size of the 315,577-acre Rush Fire, which burned across California and Nevada,[10] as well as the Santiago Canyon Fire of 1889, which was previously believed to have been California's all-time largest wildfire.[11][12][a]

The fires collectively destroyed 280 structures while damaging 37 others;[1] causing at least $257 million (2018 USD) in damages, including $56 million in insured property damage and $201 million (2018 USD) in fire suppression costs.[6][7] The city of Lakeport, communities of Kelseyville, Lucerne, Upper Lake, Nice, Saratoga Springs, Witter Springs, Potter Valley, and Finley, parts of Hopland, and the tribal communities of Hopland Rancheria, Big Valley Rancheria, and Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake were evacuated.

The smaller River Fire was the first fire in the complex to be contained, reaching full containment on August 13,[13] while the Ranch Fire continued to burn for more than a month after that, with flames on the northern flank of the Ranch Fire pushing eastward from the Snow Mountain Wilderness into Glenn County.[14] The Ranch Fire finally reached full containment during the evening of September 18.[1][15] However, the Ranch Fire continued to burn deep within containment lines until November 7, when the fire was declared to be inactive.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Mendocino Complex Information - InciWeb the Incident Information System". November 7, 2018. Archived from the original on June 29, 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  2. ^ "River Fire (Mendocino Complex)". CAL FIRE. October 25, 2019. Archived from the original on April 20, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "Ranch Fire (Mendocino Complex)". CAL FIRE. October 25, 2019. Archived from the original on August 28, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference mourned by Utah town was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b "Mendocino Complex Information – September 15, 2018" (PDF). United States Department of Agriculture. September 15, 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 20, 2018. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
  6. ^ a b "2018 National Large Incident Year-to-Date Report" (PDF). National Interagency Fire Center. September 19, 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
  7. ^ a b Hannah Beausang (September 6, 2018). "Mendocino Complex wildfires cause $56 million of insured losses". North Bay Business Journal. Archived from the original on November 25, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference WaspNest was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ n/a, n/a (August 9, 2018). "California wildfires: Eight images that reveal scale of devastation". BBC. Archived from the original on August 9, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  10. ^ "Rush Fire". Inciweb. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference 10 times was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference largest blaze was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference River Fire contained was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference F was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference now 100% contained was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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