Top 10 Most Destructive California Wildfires
Rank |
Fire name and cause |
Date |
County |
Acres |
Structures |
Deaths |
1 |
Camp Fire (Under investigation) |
November 2018 |
Butte |
153,336 |
18,804 |
85 |
2 |
Tubbs (Under investigation) |
October 2017 |
Napa and Sonoma |
36,807 |
5,636 |
22 |
3 |
Tunnel (Rekindle) |
October 1991 |
Alameda |
1,600 |
2,900 |
25 |
4 |
Cedar (Human related) |
October 2003 |
San Diego |
273,246 |
2,820 |
15 |
5 |
Valley (Electrical) |
September 2015 |
Lake, Napa and Sonoma |
76,067 |
1,955 |
4 |
6 |
Witch (Powerlines) |
October 2007 |
San Diego |
197,990 |
1,650 |
2 |
7 |
Carr (Human related) |
July 2018 |
Shasta County, Trinity County |
229,651 |
1,604 |
8 |
8 |
Nuns (Under investigation) |
October 2017 |
Sonoma |
54,382 |
1,355 |
3 |
9 |
Thomas (Under investigation) |
December 2017 |
Ventura and Santa Barbara |
281,893 |
1,063 |
2 |
10 |
Old (Human related) |
October 2003 |
San Bernardino |
91,281 |
1,003 |
6 |
|
Top 10 Most Destructive California Wildfires (1)
Rank |
Fire name and cause |
Date |
County |
Acres |
Structures |
Deaths |
1 |
Camp Fire (Power lines) |
November 2018 |
Butte |
153,336 |
18,804 |
85 |
2 |
Tubbs (Electrical) |
October 2017 |
Napa and Sonoma |
36,807 |
5,636 |
22 |
3 |
Tunnel (Rekindle) |
October 1991 |
Alameda |
1,600 |
2,900 |
25 |
4 |
Cedar (Human related) |
October 2003 |
San Diego |
273,246 |
2,820 |
15 |
5 |
Valley (Electrical) |
September 2015 |
Lake, Napa and Sonoma |
76,067 |
1,955 |
4 |
6 |
Witch (Power lines) |
October 2007 |
San Diego |
197,990 |
1,650 |
2 |
7 |
Woolsey (Unde investigation) |
November 2018 |
Ventura |
96,949 |
1,643 |
3 |
8 |
Carr (Human related) |
July 2018 |
Shasta County, Trinity County |
229,651 |
1,614 |
8 |
9 |
Nuns (Power lines) |
October 2017 |
Sonoma |
54,382 |
1,355 |
3 |
10 |
Thomas (Power lines) |
December 2017 |
Ventura and Santa Barbara |
281,893 |
1,063 |
2 |
|
(1) As of August 8, 2019.
Source: CalFire.
Top 10 Most Destructive California Wildfires (1)
Rank |
Fire name and cause |
Date |
County |
Acres |
Structures |
Deaths |
1 |
Camp Fire (Power lines) |
November 2018 |
Butte |
153,336 |
18,804 |
85 |
2 |
Tubbs (Electrical) |
October 2017 |
Napa and Sonoma |
36,807 |
5,636 |
22 |
3 |
Tunnel - Oakland Hills (Rekindle) |
October 1991 |
Alameda |
1,600 |
2,900 |
25 |
4 |
Cedar (Human related) |
October 2003 |
San Diego |
273,246 |
2,820 |
15 |
5 |
North Complex (Under investigation) (2) |
August 2020 |
Butte, Plumas and Yuba |
318,930 |
2,352 |
15 |
6 |
Valley (Electrical) |
September 2015 |
Lake, Napa and Sonoma |
76,067 |
1,955 |
4 |
7 |
Witch (Power lines) |
October 2007 |
San Diego |
197,990 |
1,650 |
2 |
8 |
Woolsey (Under investigation) |
November 2017 |
Ventura |
96,949 |
1,643 |
3 |
9 |
Carr (Human related) |
July 2008 |
Shasta County and Trinity |
229,651 |
1,614 |
8 |
10 |
Glass fire (Under investigation) (2) |
September 2020 |
Napa and Sonoma |
67,484 |
1,520 |
0 |
|
(1) As of October 20, 2020.
(2) Numbers not final.
Source: Calfire.
Top 10 Most Destructive California Wildfires (1)
Rank |
Fire name and cause |
Date |
County |
Acres |
Structures |
Deaths |
1 |
Camp Fire (Power lines) |
November 2018 |
Butte |
153,336 |
18,804 |
85 |
2 |
Tubbs (Electrical) |
October 2017 |
Napa and Sonoma |
36,807 |
5,636 |
22 |
3 |
Tunnel - Oakland Hills (Rekindle) |
October 1991 |
Alameda |
1,600 |
2,900 |
25 |
4 |
Cedar (Human related) |
October 2003 |
San Diego |
273,246 |
2,820 |
15 |
5 |
North Complex (Under investigation) (2) |
August 2020 |
Butte, Plumas and Yuba |
318,935 |
2,352 |
15 |
6 |
Valley (Electrical) |
September 2015 |
Lake, Napa and Sonoma |
76,067 |
1,955 |
4 |
7 |
Witch (Power lines) |
October 2007 |
San Diego |
197,990 |
1,650 |
2 |
8 |
Woolsey (Under investigation) |
November 2018 |
Ventura |
96,949 |
1,643 |
3 |
9 |
Carr (Human related) |
July 2018 |
Shasta County and Trinity |
229,651 |
1,614 |
8 |
10 |
Glass Fire (Under investigation) (2) |
September 2020 |
Napa and Sonoma |
67,484 |
1,520 |
0 |
|
(1) As of April 28, 2021.
(2) Numbers not final.
Source: Calfire.
Top 10 Most Destructive California Wildfires (1)
Rank |
Fire name and cause |
Date |
County |
Acres |
Structures |
Deaths |
1 |
Camp Fire (Power lines) |
November 2018 |
Butte |
153,336 |
18,804 |
85 |
2 |
Tubbs (Electrical) |
October 2017 |
Napa and Sonoma |
36,807 |
5,636 |
22 |
3 |
Tunnel - Oakland Hills (Rekindle) |
October 1991 |
Alameda |
1,600 |
2,900 |
25 |
4 |
Cedar (Human related) |
October 2003 |
San Diego |
273,246 |
2,820 |
15 |
5 |
North Complex (Lightning) |
August 2020 |
Butte, Plumas and Yuba |
318,935 |
2,352 |
15 |
6 |
Valley (Electrical) |
September 2015 |
Lake, Napa and Sonoma |
76,067 |
1,955 |
4 |
7 |
Witch (Power lines) |
October 2007 |
San Diego |
197,990 |
1,650 |
2 |
8 |
Woolsey (Electrical) |
November 2018 |
Ventura |
96,949 |
1,643 |
3 |
9 |
Carr (Human related) |
July 2018 |
Shasta County and Trinity |
229,651 |
1,614 |
8 |
10 |
Glass Fire (Undetermined) |
September 2020 |
Napa and Sonoma |
67,484 |
1,520 |
0 |
|
(1) As of October 25,2021.
Source: Calfire.
Top 10 Most Destructive California Wildfires (1)
Rank |
Fire name and cause |
Date |
County |
Acres |
Structures (2) |
Deaths |
1 |
Camp Fire (Powerlines) |
November 2018 |
Butte |
153,336 |
18,804 |
85 |
2 |
Tubbs (Electrical)) |
October 2017 |
Napa and Sonoma |
36,807 |
5,636 |
22 |
3 |
Tunnel - Oakland Hills (Rekindle) |
October 1991 |
Alameda |
1,600 |
2,900 |
25 |
4 |
Cedar (Human related) |
October 2003 |
San Diego |
273,246 |
2,820 |
15 |
5 |
North Complex (Lightning) |
August 2020 |
Butte, Plumas and Yuba |
318,935 |
2,352 |
15 |
6 |
Valley (Electrical) |
September 2015 |
Lake, Napa and Sonoma |
76,067 |
1,958 |
4 |
7 |
Witch (Powerlines) |
October 2007 |
San Diego |
197,990 |
1,650 |
2 |
8 |
Woolsey (Electrical) |
November 2018 |
Ventura |
96,949 |
1,643 |
3 |
9 |
Carr (Human related) |
July 2018 |
Shasta County, Trinity County |
229,651 |
1,614 |
8 |
10 |
Glass (Undetermined) |
September 2020 |
Napa and Sonoma |
67,484 |
1,520 |
0 |
|
(1) As of October 2022.
(2) "Structures" include homes, outbuildings (barns, garages, sheds, etc) and commercial properties destroyed. This list does not include fire jurisdiction. These are the Top 20 regardless of whether they were state, federal, or local responsibility.
Source: Calfire.