2014 California wildfires | |
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Satellite image of the wildfires in Southern California and Baja California, on May 15, 2014.
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Statistics | |
Total fires | 7,865 |
Total area | 555,044 acres (2,246 km2) |
Cost | At least $184.02 million (2014 USD) |
Injuries | At least 146 |
Fatalities | 2 confirmed |
Season | |
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The 2014 California wildfire season saw several notable wildfires ignited in the state of California, especially during the month of May, when multiple fires were ablaze concurrently in Southern California, and during September, when several massive wildfires were burning in Northern California. In the context of the 2012–15 North American drought (especially the 2011–15 California drought), as well as powerful Santa Ana winds, weather conditions were ideal for wildfires. The season began unusually early when a wildfire ignited on January 1, followed by 6 more fires igniting later within the same month. During a heat wave and dry Santa Ana conditions in May 2014, multiple wildfires broke out simultaneously in San Diego County, along with several other wildfires elsewhere in California. By mid-May, fire officials said they had already dealt with 1,400 wildfires in California in 2014 - twice the normal amount for that time of year - and a spokesman for CAL FIRE described the conditions as "unprecedented." The May 2014 San Diego County wildfires were estimated to have caused at least $60 million (2014 USD) in damage. In late June to early August, another group of wildfires ignited across the state, some of which reached over twenty thousand acres in size. In mid-September, the largest group of wildfires erupted, with some wildfires becoming larger than 50,000 acres in size. In early September 2014, the Happy Complex Fire became the largest wildfire of the season, eventually topping out at 135,369 acres (54,782 ha) in size on September 27. On October 8, an aerial tanker crashed during a firefighting effort at the Dog Rock Fire, which killed the pilot and sparked a small wildfire. From late September to late October, the latest flare-up of major wildfires were extinguished by cooler weather and precipitation. From December 10–13, a powerful winter storm extinguished the remaining wildfires that were present. In mid-December through late December, several more small wildfires sparked, but they were all extinguished by December 31. A total of 5,620 wildfires ignited throughout the year, which burned at least 631,434 acres (2,555.32 km2) of land. The wildfires caused a total of 146 injuries and 2 fatalities, in addition to causing at least $184.02 million (2014 USD) in damage.