A look at the deadliest US wildfires in modern history
Due to the terrain, population, and frequency of mega-droughts, California has been home to many of the deadliest wildfires since 1933. Fires such as the Camp (2018) and Griffith Park (1933) killed dozens and rank as some of the most extreme events in U.S. history.
'Firenado' spins up in Southern California wildfires
A fire whirl, sometimes referred to as a 'firenado', was spotted at around 10:45 p.m. in the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles on Friday night.
Areas where dry conditions and heat waves have met dense population centers have been the epicenters of deadly firestorms.
California and Hawaii have been home to the nation’s deadliest wildfires in modern history.
The National Interagency Fire Center says wildfires have become more destructive during the last several decades, with an increasing number of events becoming billion-dollar disasters.
According to a congressional report, 89% of the country’s wildfires between 2018 and 2022 were human-caused, but those triggered by lightning tend to burn more acres.
Due to the continuous threat the state is under, California said it has the largest aerial firefighting fleet on standby and continuously uses networks of cameras, drones and other real-time intelligence to monitor and aid in any firefighting efforts.
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Hawaii brush fires (2023)
The deadliest wildfire event in modern U.S. history occurred in August 2023 on the Hawaiian Islands. The Lahaina Fire devastated parts of Maui and led to the deaths of at least 102 people.
The brush fire was wind-driven, helped by a strong ridge of high pressure over the central Pacific and Hurricane Dora to the south.
More than $5 billion in damage was done, and the ignition source was said to be utility lines.
California’s Camp Fire (2018)
Within the Lower 48, the Camp Fire in Northern California has held the status of being the deadliest wildfire in modern history.
According to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, 88 fatalities were tied to the blaze that burned more than 153,000 acres in Northern California, near Chico.
Around 18,000 structures were destroyed, with the town of Paradise being the greatest impacted.
The blaze is believed to be the deadliest wildfire to impact the U.S. since the Cloquet Fire killed more than 450 people in 1918 in Minnesota.
The burned remains of a vehicle and home are seen during the Camp fire in Paradise, California on November 8, 2018.
(JOSH EDELSON / AFP / Getty Images)
October Fire Siege (2017)
A series of devastating wildfires that erupted across Northern California in October 2017 have been collectively dubbed the "October Fire Siege."
Thousands of homes were reported destroyed, and the death toll reached at least 44.
The event included the Tubbs Fire, which at the time was the most destructive in the state’s history.
At the time, damage was estimated to be around $14 billion as nearly 250,000 acres were reported to be destroyed.
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Summer Fire Siege (2020)
According to CAL FIRE, a series of lightning storms generated nearly 14,000 lightning strikes with over 650 wildfires reported over a week’s time in mid-August.
Over 2,529,000 acres burned, and 31 people were reported killed.
The source of the thunderstorm activity and windy conditions was the remnants of Tropical Storm Fausto.
Griffith Park Fire (1933)
A pile of debris ignited during a project to enhance the park in Los Angeles during the fall of 1933.
According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, 29 people were killed while trying to fight the blaze, which burned less than 50 acres.
Aside from the September 11 attacks and the Great Fire of 1910, the event was the deadliest for both firefighters and civilians who worked to extinguish the flames.
Toxic wildfire smoke becoming growing threat across the U.S.
Dr. John Balmes, Volunteer Medical Spokesperson with the American Lung Association, explains how wildfire smoke can bring upon health issues for people across the U.S.