The October 2007 California wildfires, also known as the Fall 2007 California firestorm, were a series of about thirty wildfires (17 of which became major wildfires) that began igniting across Southern California on October 20. At least 1,500 homes were destroyed and approximately 972,147 acres (about 3,934 km2, or 1,520 mi2) of land was burned from Santa Barbara County to the U.S.–Mexico border, surpassing the October 2003 California wildfires in scope, which were estimated to have burned . The wildfires killed a total of 14 people, with nine of them dying directly from the fires; 160 others were injured, including at least 124 firefighters. At their height, the raging fires were visible from space. These fires included the vast majority of the largest and deadliest wildfires of the 2007 California wildfire season. The only wildfire in 2007 that surpassed any of the individual October 2007 fires in size was the Zaca Fire.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in seven California counties where fires were burning. President George W. Bush concurred, and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts. Over 6,000 firefighters worked to fight the blazes; they were aided by units of the United States Armed Forces, United States National Guard, almost 3,000 prisoners convicted of non-violent crimes, and 60 firefighters from the Mexican cities of Tijuana and Tecate.coyotehowls The fires forced approximately 1,000,000 people to evacuate from their homes, becoming the largest evacuation in California's history.

Major contributing factors to the extreme fire conditions were drought in Southern California, hot weather, and unusually strong Santa Ana winds, with gusts reaching 85 mph (140 km/h). California's "fire season," which traditionally runs from June to October, has become a year-round threat, due to a mixture of perennial drought and the increasing number of homes built in canyons and on hillsides, surrounded by brush and forest.

The fires had numerous sources. Several were triggered by power lines damaged by the high winds. One fire started when a semi-truck overturned. Another was suspected to have been deliberately caused; the suspect was shot and killed in flight by state authorities. A 10-year-old boy admitted that he accidentally started the Buckweed Fire by playing with matches. The last active fire, the Harris, was fully extinguished on November 16, 2007, about 27 days after the series of wildfires had begun to ignite. The October 2007 wildfires caused over $2 billion (2007 USD) in insured property damages.

Fires This is a list of the named fires that ignited as part of the October 2007 California firestorm, beginning in late October 2007. Most of these wildfires were managed by Cal Fire at some point in time.

Name County Acres Km Start date Contained Date Notes RanchLos Angeles October 20, 2007 October 30, 2007 10 structures destroyed CanyonLos Angeles October 21, 2007 October 27, 2007 8 structures destroyed Sedgewick FireSanta Barbara October 21, 2007 October 30, 2007 HarrisSan Diego October 21, 2007 November 5, 2007 472 structures destroyed, 8 civilian fatalities October FireLos Angeles October 21, 2007 October 30, 2007 Nightsky FireVentura October 21, 2007 November 1, 2007 WitchSan Diego October 21, 2007 November 6, 2007 1,650 structures destroyed, 2 civilian fatalities McCoy FireThese wildfires merged into the Witch Fire.San Diego October 21, 2007 October 26, 2007 1 structure destroyed BuckweedLos Angeles October 21, 2007 November 1, 2007 63 structures destroyed Roca FireRiverside October 21, 2007 November 1, 2007 SantiagoOrange October 21, 2007 November 9, 2007 24 structures destroyed Coronado Hills FireSan Diego October 22, 2007 October 30, 2007 Little Mountain FireSan Bernardino October 22, 2007 October 24, 2007 Walker FireSan Bernardino October 22, 2007 October 30, 2007 Cajon FireSan Bernardino October 22, 2007 October 30, 2007 MagicLos Angeles October 22, 2007 October 27, 2007 SlideSan Bernardino October 22, 2007 October 31, 2007 272 structures destroyed RiceSan Diego October 22, 2007 November 1, 2007 248 structures destroyed Grass ValleySan Bernardino October 22, 2007 October 29, 2007 178 structures destroyed Rosa FireRiverside October 22, 2007 October 31, 2007 San Martin FireSan Bernardino October 23, 2007 October 30, 2007 Meadowridge FireLos Angeles October 23, 2007 October 30, 2007 PoomachaSan Diego October 23, 2007 November 13, 2007 217 structures destroyed Ammo (Horno) FireSan Diego October 23, 2007 October 29, 2007 Wilcox FireSan Diego October 23, 2007 October 26, 2007 Wildomar FireRiverside October 24, 2007 October 24, 2007

Notes

Counties San Diego County

Of all the wildfires, the two largest ones were located in San Diego County. The largest, the Witch Creek Fire, burned areas in north and northeast San Diego County. The second largest, the Harris Fire, burned northwest from the U.S–Mexico border towards San Diego. Officials feared that the fires could become even more destructive than the 2003 Cedar Fire that burned , destroyed 2,820 buildings (including 2,232 homes), and killed 15 people (including one firefighter) before being contained on November 3, 2003. Although individually the fires did not surpass the Cedar Fire, if they had combined as one, they would have.Cedar Fire-Final Update, State of California website . Note, some references, such as Esri report the acreage of the Cedar Fire at 273,246 acres; however, this article uses the figure reported by the State of California.

Residents were subjected to a mix of mandatory and voluntary evacuations, depending on the projected path of a fire. Hundreds of thousands of residents were notified of evacuations via a computerized Reverse 911 phone call system. While this alert system was mostly effective, many residents in Rancho Bernardo received the calls after they had been driven from their homes. On the other hand, in Carmel Valley, only the northern half was officially evacuated, but a computer error mistakenly sent Reverse 911 calls to the southern half as well. Law enforcement officers also notified residents by driving through evacuation areas. On October 24, 2007, San Diego County Sheriff Bill Kolender stated that the number of people evacuated in San Diego county exceeded the number evacuated from New Orleans, Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina.

Two days into the fires, approximately 500,000 people from at least 346,000 homes were under mandatory orders to evacuate,"California Wildfires Trigger Widespread Evacuations". NPR (2007-10-24). Retrieved on 2007-10-24. the largest evacuation in the region's history. Evacuation sites included Qualcomm Stadium, as well as many schools, civic centers, and churches throughout the area. The American Red Cross managed the evacuation centers.

Officials estimated that 12,000 gathered at Qualcomm stadium. Volunteers provided food, blankets, water, internet services, children's toys, massages, and a live rock band performance for those at the stadium. Nearly all public schools and universities in the San Diego area were closed. Many businesses closed as well. To ensure clear roads for emergency vehicles, San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders asked residents to stay home and inside.

By October 23, some evacuations were lifted, allowing about 50,000 residents from the cities of Del Mar, Chula Vista, and Poway, and the San Diego neighborhoods of Del Mar Heights and Scripps Ranch to return home.Evacuees Allowed To Return To Del Mar, Chula Vista, Scripps Ranch and Poway . NBC San Diego. Retrieved on 2007-10-23.Some Evacuees Return Home. KGTV 10 News (2007-10-24). Retrieved on 2007-10-24. On October 24, more evacuation orders for parts of Rancho Bernardo and other areas further west were lifted. However, the fires continued and damage was severe. The four major fires across San Diego County burned over and destroyed or damaged 1,350 homes and 100 businesses since October 21, 2007.

Many major roads were closed as a result of fires and smoke. On October 22, the California Highway Patrol closed Interstate 15 in both directions between State Routes 78 and 56. On October 24, 2007, the Ammo (Horno) Fire forced the closure of Interstate 5 as well as the Amtrak California Surfliner service between Oceanside and San Clemente. Traffic from Interstate 5 was diverted to Interstate 15, which had reopened.

Officials from the San Diego Wild Animal Park said that its more than 3,500 animals were safe staying in their enclosures where they were protected by the park's fire break and irrigated areas. If the weather conditions worsened, the animals could retreat to their watering holes. However, many critically endangered animals such as the California condor were moved to the park's veterinary hospital, which is fire-resistant and fully equipped with sprinklers. Park spokesperson Yadira Galindo said that the animals were "alert but not showing any concerned behavior."

Fire data was provided by the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection and independent news media. : the following fires burned in San Diego County: +San Diego County Fire name Date / time started Area burned Structures destroyed Injuries Containment Date Witch (Creek) October 21 at 11:00 a.m. 1,125 homes509 outbuildings239 vehicles77 homes damaged25 outbuildings damaged 2 deaths40 firefighters2 civilians November 6 Harris October 21 at 9:23 a.m. 206 homes293 outbuildings253 homes2 commercial properties12 homes damaged3 outbuildings damaged 5 deaths40 firefighters21 civilians Poomacha (Palomar Mountain/Valley Center) October 23 at 3:13 p.m. 143 homes77 outbuildings 21 firefighters Horno/Ammo October 23 at 9:20 p.m. (Ammo Fire) (Horno Fire) 6 firefighters Rice October 22 at 4:16 p.m. 206 homes2 commercial properties40 outbuildings 5 firefighters McCoy October 21 1 residence1 outbuilding Coronado Hills October 22 at 1:50 a.m. 2 outbuildings October 22 Wilcox October 23

Witch Creek Fire

The Witch Creek Fire was the largest of the October 2007 wildfires and surpassed the 1970 Laguna Fire as the third-largest fire in California history. Hundreds of thousands of residents were informed of evacuations through the Reverse 911 system. This evacuation came almost four years to the day after the Cedar Fire of 2003.

The fire started in Witch Creek Canyon near Santa Ysabel, and quickly spread to San Diego Country Estates, Ramona, Rancho Bernardo, Poway and Escondido. Locals in the San Pasqual Valley area reported wind gusts of over . From there the fire jumped over Interstate 15 and continued west, causing significant damage in Lake Hodges, Del Dios, and Rancho Santa Fe.

Strong Santa Ana winds pushed the fires west towards the coast. San Diego County Sheriff William B. Kolendar stated that the Witch Creek Fire could be "well in excess of the Cedar Fire of 2003". While many coastal communities were evacuated as the fire moved west, the shifting winds prevented it from directly threatening those areas. During the duration of the Witch Fire, fire officials reported 80–100 feet-high flames within the wildfire.