2004 California wildfires

2004 California wildfires
Refer to caption
Manzanita burns in a small 2004 wildfire in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
Date(s)
  • January 1 –
  • December 31, 2004
Statistics[1]
Total fires7,898[1]
Total area311,024 acres (1,258.67 km2)[1]
Impacts
Deaths2 firefighters[2]
Damage>$296.9 million (2004 USD)[3]
Season
← 2003
2005 →

7,898 wildfires[1] burned 311,024 acres (1,258.67 square kilometres) in the US state of California in 2004.[1]

Background

Further information: List of California wildfires

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

Below is a list of all fires that exceeded 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) during the 2004 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
Pleasure Fire Riverside 2,464 10.0 April 25, 2004 April 26, 2004
India San Diego 2,040 8.3 May 2, 2004 May 3, 2004
Eagle Riverside 8,831 35.7 May 2, 2004 May 7, 2004 41 structures destroyed
Cerrito Riverside 16,460 66.6 May 3, 2004 May 7, 2004 26 structures destroyed
Cachuma Santa Barbara 1,127 4.6 May 3, 2004 May 7, 2004 1 structure destroyed
Cottonwood Riverside 1,845 7.5 May 12, 2004 May 15, 2004
Gaviota Santa Barbara 7,440 30.1 June 5, 2004 June 11, 2004 4 structures destroyed
Meadow Mariposa 5,060 20.5 June 27, 2004 July 1, 2004
Bluff Shasta 3,304 13.4 June 28, 2004 September 13, 2004 Burned in Lassen Volcanic National Park[7]
Verbenia Riverside 3,833 15.5 July 11, 2004 July 16, 2004
Gatos Fresno 1,307 5.3 July 11, 2004 July 13, 2004
Pine Los Angeles 17,418 70.5 July 12, 2004 July 21, 2004 15 structures destroyed, 1 firefighter fatality
Mataguary San Diego 8,649 35.0 July 13, 2004 July 15, 2004 3 structures destroyed
State Melton Riverside 3,667 14.8 July 17, 2004 July 20, 2004 20 structures destroyed
Foothill Los Angeles 6,002 24.3 July 17, 2004 July 21, 2004
Pelican Stanislaus 1,500 6.1 July 19, 2004 July 24, 2004
Crown Complex Los Angeles 18,026 72.9 July 20, 2004 July 23, 2004 7 structures destroyed
Straylor Lassen 3,422 13.8 July 22, 2004 July 29, 2004
Irongate Siskiyou 2,400 9.7 July 24, 2004 July 26, 2004
Sims Trinity 4,030 16.3 July 28, 2004 August 3, 2004 4 structures destroyed
East Los Angeles 1,330 5.4 August 7, 2004 August 9, 2004
Copper Calaveras 3,443 13.9 August 8, 2004 August 9, 2004
Kincaid Santa Clara 1,246 5.0 August 8, 2004 August 10, 2004
Early Tuolumne 1,670 6.8 August 9, 2004 August 11, 2004
Oregon Butte 2,030 8.2 August 11, 2004 August 15, 2004 4 structures destroyed
Bear Shasta 10,848 43.9 August 11, 2004 August 16, 2004 86 structures destroyed
Deep Tulare 3,148 12.7 August 12, 2004 August 16, 2004
French Shasta 13,005 52.6 August 14, 2004 August 20, 2004 30 structures destroyed
Geysers Lake 12,525 50.7 September 3, 2004 September 8, 2004 21 structures destroyed
Pattison Calaveras 2,476 10.0 September 3, 2004 September 5, 2004 125 structures destroyed
Cement Napa 1,100 4.5 September 4, 2004 September 4, 2004
Runaway San Bernardino 1,007 4.1 September 7, 2004 September 9, 2004
Old Highway Mariposa 1,347 5.5 September 12, 2004 September 15, 2004
Power Amador 16,800 68.0 October 6, 2004 October 21, 2004
Rumsey Yolo 39,138 158.4 October 10, 2004 October 16, 2004 6 structures destroyed
Freds El Dorado 7,700 31.2 October 13, 2004 October 17, 2004

Notes

  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

  1. ^ a b c d e "2004 Wildfire Activity Stats" (PDF). NIFC. February 14, 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 21, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Large Fires 2004" (PDF). CAL FIRE. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 25, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  3. ^ "CDF 2004 Fire Season Summary" (PDF). CalFire. August 2005. 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.
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