Creek Fire (2020)
Creek Fire | |
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The 2020 Creek Fire was a very large wildfire in central California's Sierra National Forest, in Fresno and Madera counties. One of the most significant fires of California's record-setting 2020 wildfire season, it began on September 4, 2020, and burned 379,895 acres (153,738 ha) over several months until it was declared 100% contained on December 24, 2020. The Creek Fire is the fifth-largest wildfire in recorded California history and the second-largest single fire—i.e. not part of a larger wildfire complex—following the 2021 Dixie Fire.[4]
Tens of thousands of residents in Fresno and Madera counties were forced to evacuate, and the fire also necessitated the helicopter rescue of hundreds of people by the California National Guard after they became trapped at Mammoth Pool Reservoir. Despite this, the fire caused zero fatalities, though there were more than twenty injuries. The Creek Fire destroyed hundreds of structures in Sierra Nevada communities, adding up to 856 buildings destroyed and dozens more damaged. The combined cost of the months-long firefighting effort and damage to private and county property exceeded $500 million.
Background
The Creek Fire occurred amid an already quite active wildfire season in California, which until early September had largely been driven by an outbreak of
The Creek Fire burned largely in the Sierra National Forest, which spans more than 1.3 million acres (530,000 ha) at an elevation range of ~900–14,000 feet (270–4,270 m).
Progression
September 4–5
According to the U.S. Forest Service, the Creek Fire began at approximately 6:45 p.m. PDT on Friday, September 4, 2020, in the Big Creek drainage area between Shaver Lake, Big Creek, and Huntington Lake, California. The fire had burned 2,000 acres (810 ha) by the following morning and 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) by that afternoon.[11]
Driven by powerful diurnal up-canyon winds within the
The Creek Fire also spawned two
The fire had initially trapped about 1,000 people near Mammoth Pool Reservoir after it jumped the San Joaquin River, with at least 200 individuals trapped at a boat launch.[5] The California National Guard, using CH-47 Chinook and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and night goggles, flew multiple sorties to evacuate people from near Mammoth Pool Reservoir.[18] The Chinook flew three flights, carrying 67, 102, and 37 people each time (not including crew). The Black Hawk flew another three times, carrying 15, 22, and 21 people each time. Evacuees were taken to an airfield in Fresno.[citation needed]
September 6–9
Within the first four days, the Creek Fire rapidly exploded, expanding anywhere between 20,000 acres (81 km2) to 50,000 acres (200 km2) each day from September 4–9. Reasons for this explosive behavior included strong, gusty winds pushing east from the Central Valley into the
September 10 onwards
Thick smoke lying over the fire, as well as reduced winds and lower temperatures, allowed firefighters to notch six percent containment by September 10.[20]
With over 290,000 acres (1,200 km2) burned on September 23, the Creek Fire became the largest single blaze (i.e. not a wildfire complex) in the history of California, though it was surpassed just one year later by the 2021 Dixie Fire in Northern California.[21]
Over the next month, the Creek Fire continued to grow in size, exceeding 300,000 acres (120,000 ha) on September 27. In October, most of the new growth in the Creek Fire was coming from the eastern flank of the fire, which was expanding towards
The fire was fully contained on December 24.[22]
Cause
The U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement and Investigations department led the investigation into the cause of the Creek Fire, with assistance from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).[23] On July 16, 2021, the U.S. Forest Service announced that the results of its months-long investigation into the cause of the Creek Fire had been inconclusive. According to Dean Gould, the supervisor of the Sierra National Forest, investigators "spent countless hours hiking rugged terrain to determine the cause, interviewed numerous leads, and eliminated multiple potential causes." The Forest Service ruled out that the fire had been sparked by equipment use, an escaped campfire, powerlines, or spontaneous combustion, among multiple other discarded possibilities. Investigators judged that the "most probable cause" of the fire was a lightning strike, but noted that they could not rule out arson or smoking.[24][25] The lightning strike assessment was substantiated by a Douglas fir snag, bearing signs of lightning damage, that early-arriving firefighters had seen going up in flames.[26] The Creek Fire's cause is officially listed as "undetermined".[4]
Effects
The Creek Fire caused zero fatalities;[27] an early report of one death by the Fresno Fire Department never materialized.[28] Twenty of those trapped at Mammoth Pool Reservoir were injured, with some subset of them taken to hospitals after the evacuation flights. Two people, including a 14-year-old girl, were badly burned and initially in "very serious condition". The other injuries ranged from abrasions to broken bones.[8]
Damage
The cost of the Creek Fire exceeded $500 million. The Sierra National Forest calculated the cost of fighting the fire at $193 million, and Fresno
The Creek Fire destroyed 856 structures in total, damaging a further 71.[27] Half the homes in Big Creek were reported to have been destroyed by the fire.[29][30]
On September 17, the Boy Scouts of America - Southern Sierra Council announced that the fire had badly damaged Camp Kern, with some significant structures fully destroyed by the fire.[31]
On September 9, at least 60 homes were destroyed and 278 commercial-residential structures were destroyed along with the historic Cressman's General Store, a local-landmark.[32] On September 9, the fire reached explosives stored by the China Peak Mountain Resort, used to control avalanches. The cache exploded, doing some damage to the resort. Firefighters had been warned of the cache and evacuated prior to the fire reaching the explosive materials, and no injuries resulted.[33][20]
Closures and evacuations
On September 5, hours after the fire broke out, the
On September 7, California governor
Scores of people were airlifted from hiking trails within the Sierra National Forest in the early days of the fire, with at least 150 people and some dogs evacuated by September 8.[36]
Evacuations were issued in North Fork, Bass Lake, Big Creek, Shaver, Huntington Lake, Tollhouse and Auberry, California.[37]
By September 22, the fire had forced the evacuation of over 30,000 people in Fresno and Madera Counties.[1][38]
Multiple organizations and locations housed pets and livestock during the evacuations, such as the Fresno Fairgrounds,[39] Clovis Rodeo Grounds and local high schools.[40] The Red Cross organized hotel rooms for evacuees; group shelters were not an available option due to COVID-19 pandemic social distancing requirements.[32]
Two people were arrested for entering evacuation zones illegally on September 9.[33]
Environmental impacts
Smoke from the fire worsened the air quality in the Central Valley area and caused an increase in at-risk individuals and children to be affected by respiratory issues and an increase in the use and prescribing of inhalers.[41]
A study published in Forest Ecology and Management in 2022 found that 41% of the area burned in the Creek Fire did so at high severity, 35% at moderate severity, 21% at low severity, and 3% at a severity that left the area unchanged.[6]
Political response
On September 15, Gavin Newsom and California senator
Growth and containment
Date | Area burned (in acres) |
Personnel | Containment | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sep 5 | 36,000 | ... | 0%
| ||
Sep 6 | 73,278 | ... | 0%
| ||
Sep 7 | 78,790 | ... | 0%
| ||
Sep 8 | 152,833 | ... | 0%
| ||
Sep 9 | 163,138 | ... | 0%
| ||
Sep 10 | 175,893 | ... | 0%
| ||
Sep 11 | 182,225 | ... | 6%
| ||
Sep 12 | 196,667 | ... | 8%
| ||
Sep 13[46] | 201,908 | 2,301 personnel | 8%
| ||
Sep 14 | 212,744 | ... | 16%
| ||
Sep 15 | 228,025 | ... | 18%
| ||
Sep 16[47] | 220,025 | 2,878 personnel | 18%
| ||
Sep 17 | 246,756 | ... | 20%
| ||
Sep 18[48] | 248,256 | 2,978 personnel | 20%
| ||
Sep 19 | 271,938 | ... | 25%
| ||
Sep 20[49] | 278,368 | 2,915 personnel | 25%
| ||
Sep 21 | 280,425 | ... | 30%
| ||
Sep 22[50] | 283,724 | 3,171 personnel | 30%
| ||
Sep 23[51] | 286,519 | 3,106 personnel | 32%
| ||
Sep 24[52] | 291,426 | 3,075 personnel | 34%
| ||
Sep 25[53] | 291,426 | 3,085 personnel | 36%
| ||
Sep 26[54] | 292,172 | 3,263 personnel | 39%
| ||
Sep 27[55] | 302,870 | 3,263 personnel | 39%
| ||
Sep 28[56] | 304,640 | 3,172 personnel | 39%
| ||
Sep 29[57] | 305,204 | 3,675 personnel | 44%
| ||
Sep 30[58] | 307,051 | 1,837 personnel | 44%
| ||
Oct 1[59] | 309,033 | 1,919 personnel | 44%
| ||
Oct 2[60] | 311,703 | 1,974 personnel | 45%
| ||
Oct 3 | 313,044 | ... | 49%
| ||
Oct 4 | 316,673 | ... | 49%
| ||
Oct 5 | 322,089 | ... | 48%
| ||
Oct 6 | 326,706 | ... | 49%
| ||
Oct 7 | 328,595 | ... | 49%
| ||
Oct 8 | 330,899 | ... | 49%
| ||
Oct 9 | 331,954 | ... | 49%
| ||
Oct 10 | 333,350 | ... | 49%
| ||
Oct 11 | 333,350 | ... | 55%
| ||
Oct 12 | 333,350 | ... | 55%
| ||
Oct 13 | 337,655 | ... | 55%
| ||
Oct 14[61] | 337,655 | 1,369 personnel | 55%
| ||
Oct 15[62] | 341,722 | 964 personnel | 55%
| ||
Oct 16[63] | 344,042 | 987 personnel | 60%
| ||
Oct 17[64] | 346,477 | 983 personnel | 60%
| ||
Oct 18 | 348,085 | ... | 60%
| ||
Oct 19 | 350,331 | ... | 61%
| ||
Oct 20 | 352,339 | ... | 61%
| ||
... | ... | ... | ... | ||
Oct 22 | 357,656 | ... | 61%
| ||
... | ... | ... | ... | ||
Oct 25 | 360,834 | ... | 61%
| ||
Oct 26 | 369,362 | ... | 63%
| ||
Oct 27 | 374,466 | ... | 63%
| ||
Oct 28 | 378,701 | ... | 63%
| ||
... | ... | ... | ... | ||
Nov 1[65] | 380,345 | 961 personnel | 70%
| ||
Nov 2[66] | 380,663 | 865 personnel | 70%
| ||
Nov 3[67] | 378,201 | 878 personnel | 70%
| ||
Nov 4[68] | 378,730 | 896 personnel | 70%
| ||
... | ... | ... | ... | ||
Nov 7[69] | 379,716 | 868 personnel | 70%
| ||
... | ... | ... | ... | ||
Nov 13[70] | 379,802 | 428 personnel | 70%
| ||
Nov 14[71] | 379,802 | 428 personnel | 70%
| ||
Nov 15[72] | 379,802 | 356 personnel | 78%
| ||
Nov 16[73] | 379,895 | 335 personnel | 78%
| ||
Nov 17[74] | 379,895 | 361 personnel | 78%
| ||
Nov 18[75] | 379,895 | 286 personnel | 78%
| ||
Nov 19[76] | 379,895 | 235 personnel | 78%
| ||
Nov 20[77] | 379,895 | 230 personnel | 85%
| ||
... | ... | ... | ... | ||
Dec 24[22] | 379,895 | ... | 100%
|
See also
References
Notes
- ^ From the Lee, Mirocha, Laureau, et al. source: "...superlative pyroCb depth (the deepest on record for North America in a decades-long community archive of pyroCbs...) From the NASA source: “The pyrocumulonimbus cloud created aerosol index values indicate that this is one of the largest (if not the largest) pyroCb events seen in the United States..."
Citations
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- ^ from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
- ^ ISSN 0378-1127. Retrieved November 2, 2023 – via Elsevier Science Direct.
- ^ "Previous tree mortality and density big factors in the devastating 2020 Creek Fire". forests.berkeley.edu. Rausser College of Natural Resources, University of California, Berkeley. May 18, 2022. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
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- ^ Kasler, Dale; Reese, Phillip (September 9, 2020). "'Ground zero' for dead trees. How California mega-drought turned Creek Fire into inferno". The Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on July 18, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- ^ Wigglesworth, Alex; Watanabe, Teresa (September 5, 2020). "Massive Sierra fire traps people at Mammoth Pool; 10 injured, rescue operation underway". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- ^ Mishanec, Nora (September 10, 2020). "'Fire-breathing dragon of clouds': Formation over Creek Fire said to be biggest in US history". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
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- ^ Jenner, Lynn (September 8, 2020). "California's Creek Fire Creates Its Own Pyrocumulonimbus Cloud". NASA. Archived from the original on September 12, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
- ^ Murphy, Paul (September 9, 2020). "The Creek Fire is creating massive thunderhead clouds that are fueling its growth". The Mercury News. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
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- ^ Colon, Brisa (July 16, 2021). "Cause of California's single largest wildfire ever is undetermined, fire officials say". CNN. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- ^ Olow, Alex (July 16, 2021). "Forest Service Announces Cause of 2020 Creek Fire". Sierra National Forest. U.S. Forest Service. Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- ^ Armstrong, Warren (September 7, 2021). "1 Year Later: The investigation into the cause of the Creek Fire". KFSN-TV. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
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- from the original on May 16, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- ^ Warszawski, Marek (September 6, 2020). "Creek Fire consumes half the homes in tiny town. 'Words cannot describe the devastation'". Fresno Bee. Archived from the original on September 7, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
- ^ Romero, Sheyenne N. (September 6, 2020). "More than 200 campers rescued by helicopter as Creek Fire prompts state of emergency in California: What we know". USA Today. Archived from the original on September 6, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
- ^ Staff, BakersfieldNow (September 17, 2020). "Camp Kern destroyed by Creek Fire". KBAK. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
- ^ a b Hughes, Trevor (September 9, 2020). "The human toll of Creek Fire: 'Our entire community is gone'". VisaliaTimesDelta.com. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
- ^ a b Yeager, Joshua (September 11, 2020). "'A real milestone': Creek Fire reaches 6% containment, 175,000 acres burned". Visalia Times-Delta. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- San Diego Union Tribune. September 5, 2020. Archivedfrom the original on August 1, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
- ^ Romero, Sheyanne N (September 7, 2020). "Gov. Newsom announces state of emergency after Creek Fire tears through 78,000 acres". Visalia Times-Delta. Archived from the original on September 7, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
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- ^ Ortiz, John Bacon, Trevor Hughes and Jorge L. (September 9, 2020). "'We could hear the trees exploding': Deadly swath of wildfires rage in the West; death toll rises to 6". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
{{cite web}}
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- ^ "Creek Fire Morning Update, November 13". InciWeb. November 13, 2020. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020.
- ^ "Creek Fire Morning Update, November 14". InciWeb. November 14, 2020. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020.
- ^ "Creek Fire Morning Update, November 15". InciWeb. November 15, 2020. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020.
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- ^ "Creek Fire Morning Update, November 17". InciWeb. November 17, 2020. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020.
- ^ "Fire Morning Update, November 18, 2020". InciWeb. November 18, 2020. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020.
- ^ "Creek Fire Morning Update, November 19, 2020". InciWeb. November 19, 2020. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020.
- ^ "Creek Fire FINAL Morning update, November 20, 2020". InciWeb. November 20, 2020. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020.