A series of wildfires burned throughout the state of California during 2025. By the end of the year, a total of 8,036 fires had burned across the state.
Background
The timing of "fire season" in California is variable, depending on the amount of prior winter and spring precipitation, the frequency and severity of weather such as heat waves and wind events, and moisture content in vegetation. Northern California typically sees wildfire activity between late spring and early fall, peaking in the summer with hotter and drier conditions. Occasional cold frontal passages can bring wind and lightning. The timing of fire season in Southern California is similar, peaking between late spring and autumn. The severity and duration of peak activity in either part of the state is modulated in part by weather events: downslope/offshore wind events can lead to critical fire weather, while onshore flow and Pacific weather systems can bring conditions that hamper wildfire growth.
January wildfires
Climate change increased the likelihood of the event by creating first a very strong rainfall (which resulted in more vegetation), and then a very strong drought (which dried the vegetation). The likelihood for such events increased by 8-31% from 1950. Previous climate models underestimated the risk, but even they said that a 3-degree temperature rise will double the chances for such events in comparison to current conditions. Climate change also increases the intensity of winds, and reduces the amount of water available for stopping the wildfires.
Scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles made a fast evaluation, estimating that the difference between the average temperatures in 1980–2023 and the abnormally hot 2024 alone is responsible for 25% of the moisture deficit which was one of the causes of the wildfires. They mentioned that "Substantial anthropogenic warming occurred prior to this period, so our estimate of the effect of heat anomalies in 2024 is conservative". Their study is still not peer reviewed.
Another analysis from ClimaMeter estimated that the weather conditions in the region when the wildfires begun were "up 5°C warmer, 3 mm/day (up to 15%) drier, and up to 5 km/h (up to 20%) windier" during the years 1987–2023 in comparison to the years 1950–1986. It was mainly due to climate change, while natural variability played only a small role. Additionally, as climate change made the wildfire season in California longer, it further overlapped with the season of Santa Ana winds (October-January). Analysis from Climate Central and World Weather Attribution also found that climate change strongly increased the likelihood of the wildfires not by one, but by multiple ways.
The wildfires destroyed houses of some of the richest people in California, including many homes in Malibu's Carbon Beach, colloquially also known as "Billionaire's Beach". The estimated cost of these wildfires is about 250 to 275 billion US dollars. Organizations within California, like the Michelson Found Animals and Better Neighbor Project have come together to make donations and help families who have been affected by the fires.
List of wildfires
The following is a list of fires that burned more than , produced significant structural damage, or resulted in casualties. NameCounty AcresStart dateContainment dateNotesPalisadesLos Angeles23,448Destroyed 6,837 structures and damaged 1,017 in Pacific Palisades and Malibu, northwest of Santa Monica; caused twelve confirmed fatalities and four confirmed injuries; third-most destructive wildfire in California history; associated with extremely powerful Santa Ana wind eventEatonLos Angeles14,021Evacuations forced; destroyed 9,418 structures and damaged 1,073 in Altadena and Pasadena, making it the second-most destructive fire in California history; 17 confirmed fatalities and nine confirmed injuries, making it the fifth deadliest in state history; associated with extremely powerful Santa Ana wind eventKennethVentura1,052Evacuations forced; associated with extremely powerful Santa Ana wind eventHughesLos Angeles10,425Burned near Castaic Lake. Evacuations forced; associated with extremely powerful Santa Ana wind event beginning on January 22, 2025Border 2San Diego6,625Vegetation fire that burned in the Otay Mountain Wilderness. Threatened critical infrastructure on Otay Mountain and prompted evacuations for nearby communitiesSilverInyo1,611Evacuation orders were issued for parts of Inyo and Mono counties. SpringsKern, Tulare1,817Unknown cause. Burned near Fountain Springs.DemocratKern1,700Unknown cause. Burned near State Route 178 in Sequoia National Forest.JawKern4,327Burned near Jawbone Canyon.RoseFresno1,200Burned on Highway 74.RanchSan Bernardino4,293Prompted evacuations south of State Route 18 in the Apple Valley area. Destroyed one structure. DogsKern4,407BitterSan Luis Obispo1,651MonteSan Diego1,051WolfRiverside2,387Burned in the San Jacinto Mountains. Caused evacuations for parts of Banning and nearby areas as well as the closure of a portion of State Route 243. Injured three firefighters.GreenShasta19,022Lightning-caused. Burned in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.MadreSan Luis Obispo80,779Began along and caused the closure of State Route 166. Prompted evacuations for parts of California Valley. Destroyed an outbuilding and injured two firefighters.ButlerSiskiyou, Humboldt21,058Lightning-caused. Caused evacuations for the community of Forks of Salmon and surrounding areas. Part of the Orleans Complex.DaleRiverside1,096MammothModoc2,533Burned in the Modoc National Forest.Gifford,Santa Barbara131,614Burned in the Los Padres National Forest. Destroyed five structures and caused 18 injuries.GoldSan Bernardino1,036Burned near Holcomb Valley.RosaRiverside1,671Prompted evacuations for Ribbonwood, Pinyon Pines, and other nearby areas. Destroyed 2 structures.Camp PendletonSan Diego1,000Burned in Camp Pendleton. All units released from the fire on August 6.CanyonLos Angeles, Ventura5,370Destroyed 7 structures near Hasley Canyon. Caused the evacuation of approximately 4,200 residents.PickettNapa6,819Burned in North Calistoga. Prompted evacuations for at least seventy residents.LittleKern2,506Burned along and closed State Route 178 southwest of Lake Isabella. Prompted evacuations and closed several recreation areas.GarnetFresno60,263Lightning-caused. Burned north of the Kings River in Sierra National Forest.DillonSiskiyou11,929Caused the closure of State Route 96 in Klamath National Forest.LogSiskiyou1,170Lightning-caused. Burned in the Marble Mountain Wilderness.BlueSiskiyou3,713Lightning-caused. Burned east of Happy Camp and prompted evacuation orders for the Seiad Valley area.SaltFresno, Kings, Monterey25,580Also known as the 14-2 Fire. Burned in the southern Diablo Range.2-2Calaveras, Stanislaus3,462Lightning-caused. Part of the TCU September Lightning Complex.6-5Tuolumne6,935Lightning-caused. Destroyed 95 structures, mostly in Chinese Camp. Part of the TCU September Lightning Complex.6-2Tuolumne1,025Lightning-caused. Part of the TCU September Lightning Complex.2-8Calaveras1,340Lightning-caused. Part of the TCU September Lightning Complex.MarmonFresno1,0341-4Mariposa4,451Burned near Raymond.PackMono1,974Burned near Crowley Lake and prompted evacuations. Destroyed thirty structures and damaged six others.
See also 2025 United States wildfires January 2025 Southern California wildfires FireAid, January 2025 benefit concert for relief efforts for the Los Angeles wildfires
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