In the summer of 2013, there were several major wildfires in Colorado in the United States. During June and July, record high temperatures and dry conditions fueled the fires all across the state. By July 24, 570 structures had been destroyed and 2 lives were lost. Below is a list of the major fires of the year.
The Helena Fire was a wildfire that burned in Trinity Alps Wilderness and west of the town of Weaverville, Trinity County, California in the United States. The fire had burned 21,846 acres (88 km2), and destroyed 72 homes. The fire merged with the nearby Fork Fire. The Helena Fire was fully extinguished on November 15, after reaching 21,846 acres (88 km2). The cause of the fire was a tree falling into a power line. The fire threatened the communities of Weaverville and Junction City and impacted recreational activities in the area.
The Graham Fire was a wildfire four miles south of the Metolius River near Culver, Oregon. The fire was caused by a lightning strike and was first reported on June 21, 2018. The fire is one of 70 started over a two-day period of dry conditions and heavy winds in Central Oregon. The fire was contained on June 2,175 acres (9 km2).
The Georges Fire was a wildfire in Inyo County, California in the United States. The fire was reported on July 8, 2018 in a rural area north of Lone Pine and west of Manzanar. The fire was started by a lightning strike and impacted recreational activities in the Inyo National Forest, as well as the habitat for Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, an endangered species. The fire burned 2,883 acres (12 km2), before burning out on July 18.
The Ferguson Fire was a wildfire in the Sierra National Forest, Stanislaus National Forest and Yosemite National Park in California in the United States. The fire was reported on July 13, 2018, burning 96,901 acres (392 km2), before it was 100% contained on August 19, 2018. Interior areas of the fire continued to smolder and burn until September 19, 2018, when InciWeb declared the fire to be inactive. The Ferguson Fire was caused by the superheated fragments of a faulty vehicle catalytic converter igniting vegetation. The fire, which burned mostly in inaccessible wildland areas of the national forest, impacted recreational activities in the area, including in Yosemite National Park, where Yosemite Valley and Wawona were closed. The Ferguson fire caused at least $171.2 million in damages, with a suppression cost of $118.5 million and economic losses measuring $52.7 million. Two firefighters were killed and nineteen others were injured in the fire.
The Taboose Fire was a wildfire burning in Inyo National Forest, southwest of Big Pine and northwest of Aberdeen in Inyo County in the state of California, in the United States. The fire started September 4, 2019 and on October 7, it had burned 10,296 acres (4,167 ha) and was 75 percent contained. The cause of the fire was lightning. Select trails, campgrounds and roads in Inyo National Forest, Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park had been closed due to the fire. The community of Baxter Ranch was under mandatory evacuation.
The Lime Fire was a wildfire located west of Interstate 5 and north of Highway 96 in the Klamath National Forest's Lime Gulch area in Siskiyou County. The fire was started as the result of a lightning strike during a thunderstorm. As of September 17, the fire has burned 1,862 acres (754 ha) and is 96 percent contained. Evacuation warnings are in place for the area between Ash Creek and Gottsville, warning to take "extreme caution" along Highway 96. Portions of Klamath National Forest are closed due to the fire.
The Mangum Fire is a wildfire burning in Kaibab National Forest in Arizona in the United States. The fire, which started on June 8, 2020 approximately 16 miles north of the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, burned a total of 71,450 acres (28,915 ha). The fire threatened the community of Jacob Lake, Arizona, resulting in its evacuation. Select highways were closed, including Highway 67, which resulted in closure of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Additionally, areas of the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness were inaccessible due to closures. Four buildings were destroyed, including two historic cabins. The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation, however, fire officials have confirmed it was human caused.
The East Canyon Fire was a wildfire burning in La Plata and Montezuma Counties in Colorado in the United States. The fire was the largest of many small fires started by a lightning storm and was first reported on June 14, 2020. The East Canyon Fire burned 2,905 acres (1,176 ha) and was contained on June 27, 2020. The fire resulted in the closure a portion of Highway 160 and mandatory evacuations of a campground and residences in the area.
The Brown Fire was a wildfire that burned in Lund, Nevada in the United States. First reported on June 24, 2020, the Brown Fire burned 8,268 acres (3,346 ha) and was contained on June 30, 2020. The fire skirted along Highway 318 and threatened the south side of Lund, resulting in the mandatory evacuation of residents in the southern part of the community. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The Mahogany Fire was a wildfire that burned on Mount Charleston in the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, approximately 50 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada in the United States. The fire was first reported on June 28, 2020. The fire burned a total of 2,758 acres (1,116 ha) and was contained on July 7, 2020. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The fire impacted recreational activities and roadways in the area, including closing a children's summer camp and evacuating Lee Canyon. Additionally, three state highways were closed in the area to allow ease of access for crews and to limit the public's access to the fire area.
The Wood Springs 2 Fire is a wildfire currently burning in the Navajo Nation, three miles east of Wood Springs in Apache County, Arizona in the United States. The result of a lightning strike, the fire was first reported on June 27, 2020. The fire has burned a total of 12,861 acres (5,205 ha) and is 98 percent contained as of July 13, 2020. Two outbuildings and five livestock pens were destroyed. One residence has been damaged. The fire currently threatens the area around Fluted Rock, Arizona.
The Canal Fire was a wildfire that burned Millard County in Utah in the United States. First reported on June 26, 2020, the fire burned 78,065 acres (31,592 ha) on public land, including Fishlake National Forest and land owned by the Bureau of Land Management. Started by a lightning strike, the fire was contained on June 27, only to escape containment on June 28 due to strong winds. The fire led to the mandatory evacuation of Fool Creek Peak and Leamington, Utah. It was contained on July 11, 2020.
The Numbers Fire was a wildfire that burned in the Pine Nut Mountains, near Gardnerville, Nevada, in the United States. The fire was reported on July 6, 2020 and burned 18,342 acres (7,423 ha). It was contained on July 14, 2020. The fire threatened the communities of Ruhenstroth, Pine View Estates and Bodie Flats, totaling approximately 1,000 homes. It resulted in the mandatory evacuations of Pine View Estates and Bodie Flats and the closure of a 15 mile stretch of Highway 395. Forty structures were destroyed, including three homes. The fire was started by a truck with mechanical issues which discharged particles which ignited the fire.
The Apple Fire was a wildfire that burned during the 2020 California wildfire season in Cherry Valley south of Oak Glen and north of Beaumont and Banning in Riverside County, California in the United States. The fire ignited on Friday, July 31, 2020 as three separate smaller blazes within the rural canyons along Oak Glen Road before merging and rapidly expanded to 1,900 acres (769 ha) and destroyed at least one home and two outbuildings in the Cherry Valley area. It now covers at least 33,424 acres (13,526 ha) and created "a plume of smoke so massive that it generated its own winds." The fire was sparked by a diesel-burning vehicle that emitted burning carbon.
The Pine Gulch Fire was a wildfire that burned in Mesa County and Garfield County, Colorado in the United States. The fire was started by a lightning strike and first reported on July 31, 2020 and quickly grew, resulting in the fire being named the largest wildfire in Colorado history, surpassing the 2002 Hayman Fire. Almost seven weeks later, it was surpassed by the Cameron Peak Fire in Larimer County.
The Lake Fire was a wildfire that burned during the 2020 California wildfire season in the Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles County in the state of California in the United States. The fire, which was first reported on August 12, 2020, burned 31,089 acres (12,581 ha) near Lake Hughes. It was fully contained on September 28. The cause of the fire remains unknown. The fire has damaged 3 structures, destroyed 12 structures and 21 outbuildings, and injured 4 firefighters.
The Loyalton Fire was a wildfire burning in Lassen, Plumas and Sierra County, California, and Washoe County, Nevada. The fire burned about 47,029 acres (19,032 ha) in the Tahoe National Forest and Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest before being fully contained on September 14, 2020.
The North Complex Fire was a massive wildfire complex that burned in the Plumas National Forest in Northern California in the counties of Plumas and Butte. 21 fires were started by lightning on August 17, 2020; by September 5, all the individual fires had been put out with the exception of the Claremont and Bear Fires, which merged on that date, and the Sheep Fire, which was then designated a separate incident. On September 8, strong winds caused the Bear/Claremont Fire to explode in size, rapidly spreading to the southwest. On September 8, 2020, the town of Berry Creek was immediately evacuated at 3:15 PM PDT with no prior warning, By September 9, 2020, the town of Berry Creek had been leveled, with few homes left standing. The fire threatened the city of Oroville, before its westward spread was stopped. The fire killed 16 people and injured more than 100. Among the 16 fatalities was a 16-year-old boy. The complex burned an estimated 318,935 acres (129,068 ha), and was 100% contained on December 3rd. The fire was managed by the U.S. Forest Service in conjunction with Cal Fire, with the primary incident base in Quincy. The North Complex Fire was the sixth-largest in California's modern history, and the deadliest fire in the 2020 California wildfire season..
The 2020 Colorado wildfire season is a series of significant wildfires burning throughout the U.S. state of Colorado. The season is a part of the 2020 Western United States wildfire season. During this season, the Cameron Peak Fire burned 208,913 acres, making it the largest wildfire recorded in the state of Colorado after it surpassed the Pine Gulch Fire, which earned the title seven weeks prior. Also surpassing the Pine Gulch Fire in size was the East Troublesome Fire, which, when fully contained on November 30, had burned a total of 193,812 acres. As it underwent an explosive burst of growth on October 21, the fire created a huge pyrocumulonimbus cloud that rose to about 40,000 ft (12,000 m).
