Wikipedia

2005 California wildfires

7,162 wildfires burned 222,538 acres (900.58 km2) of land in the US state of California in 2005.[1][2]

2005 California wildfires
NASA satellite image of the Topanga Fire on September 29, 2005
Statistics[1]
Total fires7,162
Total area222,538 acres (900.58 km2)[2]
Impacts
Deaths1 civilian[2]
Damage>$166.4 million (2005 USD)[3]
Season
← 2004
2006 →

Background

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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 fall. 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.[4][5]

List of wildfires

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Below is a list of all fires that exceeded 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) during the 2005 fire season.[2] The list is taken from CAL FIRE's list of large fires.

Name County Acres Km2 Start date Contained Date[a] Notes
Dos AmigosMerced1,2325.0June 3, 2005June 3, 2005
FiveFresno5,51422.3June 4, 2005June 5, 2005
SperryStanislaus1,3305.4June 4, 2005June 4, 2005
PioneerSan Bernardino1,8767.6June 18, 2005June 19, 2005
ParadiseSan Bernardino3,08212.5June 22, 2005June 25, 2005
SobobaRiverside2,0008.1June 22, 2005June 24, 2005
HackberrySan Bernardino71,000287.3June 22, 2005June 27, 2005
BaileyMadera1,0564.3July 2, 2005July 2, 2005
ToveyLos Angeles1,2004.9July 5, 2005July 6, 2005
MillwoodTulare2,60010.5July 7, 2005July 7, 2005
NineTulare1,1504.7July 9, 2005July 9, 2005
TeslaAlameda6,74427.3July 19, 2005July 20, 2005
China LakeKern1,2825.2July 19, 2005July 19, 2005
KingstonSan Bernardino3,50014.2July 22, 2005July 23, 2005
CowpieMerced3,20012.9August 1, 2005August 1, 2005
HalloranSan Bernardino1,5006.1August 3, 2005August 3, 20051 civilian killed[2]
DeerLake1,7006.9August 9, 2005August 9, 2005
ThirtySixTehama2,70010.9August 10, 2005August 11, 2005
BarrelModoc24,800100.4August 22, 2005August 22, 2005
HardingSierra2,2709.2August 24, 2005August 24, 2005
MantonTehama1,8307.4August 26, 2005August 29, 2005
BlaisdellRiverside5,49322.2August 26, 2005August 30, 2005
GormanKern2,3869.7September 3, 2005September 5, 2005
PineTulare1,6006.5September 19, 2005September 19, 2005
TopangaLos Angeles24,17597.8September 28, 2005October 7, 2005
San TimoteoRiverside1,1004.5September 28, 2005September 28, 2005
HarvardLos Angeles1,0944.4September 29, 2005October 4, 2005
RiverMadera6,00024.3October 5, 2005October 5, 2005
Border 50San Diego4,10316.6October 5, 2005October 8, 2005
WoodhouseRiverside6,50026.3October 5, 2005October 7, 2005
SchoolVentura3,89115.7November 18, 2005November 19, 2005

Labor Day brush fire

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On Labor Day Monday, September 5, 2005, a small brush fire erupted and burned parts of Rancho Peñasquitos and Black Mountain Open Space Park.[7] The wildfire quickly grew to 200 acres (0.81 km2), and triggered the evacuation of 200 homes in Rancho Peñasquitos, before further growth was stopped by firefighters.[7][8] The fire was fully extinguished by September 7.[9][8] Despite its small size, the brush fire was the worst wildfire to affect San Diego City in two years, since the Cedar Fire of 2003.[8] The wildfire resulted in 6 injuries, but did not result in structural damages.[9][8] The brush fire determined to have been started by a teenage boy, who was subsequently arrested.[9]

Notes

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  1. ↑ Containment means that fire crews have established and secured control lines around the fire's perimeter. These lines are artificial barriers, like trenches or cleared vegetation, designed to stop the fire's spread, or natural barriers like rivers. Containment reflects progress in managing the fire but does not necessarily mean the fire is starved of fuel, under control, or put out.[6]

References

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  1. 1 2 "National Report of Wildland Fires and Acres Burned by State 2005" (PDF). National Interagency Fire Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 27, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Large Fires 2005" (PDF). CAL FIRE. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  3. ↑ "CAL FIRE 2005 Wildland Fire Summary" (PDF). CalFire. March 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 26, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Weather: Fire Season Climatology (Northern California)". National Wildfire Coordinating Group. April 25, 2024. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  5. ↑ Toohey, Grace (June 22, 2024). "California wildfires have already burned 90,000 acres, and summer is just beginning". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 25, 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  6. ↑ "What containment and other wildfire related terms mean". Los Angeles: KCAL-TV. September 12, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  7. 1 2 Leslie Wolf Branscomb (September 5, 2005). "Brush fire burns 200 acres in Penasquitos, forces evacuation". San Diego Union Tribune. Archived from the original on November 13, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Will Carless (September 6, 2005). "Rancho Penasquitos Homes Evacuated as Firefighters Battle Blaze". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  9. 1 2 3 "San Diego Teen Arrested in Connection with Labor Day Brush Fire; 200 Homes Were Evacuated". Claims Journal. September 7, 2005. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
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