Today, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at California Wildfire statistics and facts. Below is what I was able to dig up. The results were very interesting (and scary)…
Please note that some of this info is easier to find than others. Many of these stats are based on news reports and not necessarily official tallies. Basically, this is the best I can find and I don’t guarantee anything to be 100% accurate.
See also: Shocking Global Warming Facts and Climate Change Statistics
California Wildfire Statistics and Facts
Largest California wildfire of all time:
Santiago Canyon Fire of 1889 (300,000 acres)
Largest California wildfire since accurate records began (1932):
Thomas wildfire of December 2017 (281,000 acres)
Deadliest California wildfire in history:
Griffin Park Fire (1933; 29 dead) and Camp Fire/Woolsey Fire (2018; 29 dead as of 11/12/18)
Costliest California wildfire in history (not adjusted for inflation):
Oakland fire (1991; $1.7 billion)
In 2017, the area of land burned in California was roughly the size of Delaware.
Amount of land the 2018 Camp Fire has burned:
Last updated 11/12/18
Amount of land the 2018 Woolsey Fire has burned:
Last updated 11/12/18
Number of people killed in 2018 in California Wildfires:
Total cost of California Wildfires in 2018:
Number of homes in California that have ‘high’ or ‘very high’ wildfire hazard potential:
Last updated 7/30/19