If you’re looking out a window in San Francisco or Los Angeles right now and the sky isn't orange, you might think the danger has passed. But the honest answer to are there still fires in california is almost always "yes." It’s just a matter of where and how big. We used to talk about "fire season" as this specific window from June to October. That’s dead. It’s gone. Now, we're looking at a calendar where the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) keeps engines warm in January.
The state is basically a tinderbox that occasionally gets wet. Even in a "good" year with heavy Sierra snowpack, the grass grows tall in the spring, dries out by June, and becomes fuel by July.
What’s Burning Right Now?
To see if there are fires today, you have to look at the CAL FIRE Incidents Map. On any given Tuesday, there are likely a dozen small "spot fires" you’ll never hear about on the national news. These are the 5-acre brush fires sparked by a dragging trailer chain on the I-5 or a lightning strike in the high desert. They get put out fast. But they’re fires nonetheless.
The big ones—the monsters like the Park Fire or the Dixie Fire—are what people usually mean when they ask this. In the 2024 season, the Park Fire alone torched over 400,000 acres, becoming one of the largest in state history. It started because someone allegedly pushed a burning car into a gully. One person. One car. That’s how fragile the ecosystem is. Even during the "off-season" in the winter months, Southern California deals with the Santa Ana winds. These are hot, dry winds that scream out of the Great Basin and over the mountains, pushing humidities down to single digits. When that happens in December, a spark can still level a neighborhood.
The Geography of the Flame
California is huge. It’s bigger than many countries. So, while it might be pouring rain in Crescent City, the hills behind Malibu could be actively burning.
Northern California fires usually involve heavy timber. These are the deep forest fires in the Sierras or the Cascades. They’re hard to fight because the fuel load—the amount of dead wood on the ground—is massive after a century of over-zealous fire suppression. Down south, it’s a different beast. You’re dealing with chaparral. This stuff is designed to burn. It’s oily, it’s dense, and it grows right up against some of the most expensive real estate on earth.
Why the "Season" Never Actually Ends
Climate change is the easy answer, but it's more nuanced than that. We have a "Mediterranean climate." That means we get all our water in a few months and then nothing for the rest of the year.
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Scientists like Daniel Swain from UCLA often talk about "weather whiplash." We get these massive atmospheric rivers that flood the state, which everyone thinks is great news for fire safety. It’s actually a double-edged sword. All that water makes the "fine fuels"—the grasses and small shrubs—explode in growth. Then, when the heat waves hit in July, all that green turns into brown tinder. More rain in the winter often means more fuel in the summer.
Then there’s the "VPD" or Vapor Pressure Deficit. Basically, the air is getting thirstier. Even if the ground is somewhat moist, the air is so dry it sucks the moisture right out of the trees. This turns living forests into standing matches.
The Infrastructure Problem
We can't talk about are there still fires in california without talking about PG&E and the power grid. A lot of the most devastating fires, like the Camp Fire that wiped out Paradise in 2018, weren't started by lightning. They were started by aging power lines sparking in high winds.
The state is trying to fix this by "undergrounding" lines, but that costs billions and takes decades. In the meantime, we have "Public Safety Power Shutoffs" (PSPS). This is when the utility company literally turns off the electricity to thousands of people because the wind is blowing too hard and they don’t want to be responsible for the next inferno. It's a mess. Honestly, it’s a terrifying way to live for people in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI).
How to Track Active Fires Like a Pro
If you live here or you’re visiting, don’t rely on the evening news. By the time they report it, the fire has already moved five miles.
- Watch Duty: This is probably the best app out there right now. It’s run by volunteers and retired firefighters. They listen to the scanners and post updates way faster than the official channels.
- PurpleAir: If you want to know about the smoke, this is your tool. It shows real-time air quality from sensors in people’s backyards.
- NASA FIRMS: This uses satellite data to detect heat signatures from space. If a new fire starts in the middle of the wilderness, the satellites usually see it before the 911 calls start coming in.
Smoke is actually the bigger health threat for most Californians. You might be 200 miles away from the flames, but if the wind shifts, your AQI (Air Quality Index) can hit 300—which is like smoking a pack of cigarettes just by standing on your porch.
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The Myth of the "Cleared" Forest
There’s this idea that if we just "raked the forests," the fires would stop. It's not that simple. The scale is too big. California has about 33 million acres of forest. You can't rake that.
What the state is doing is more "prescribed burns." This is where fire crews intentionally set small, controlled fires during the winter or spring to clear out the underbrush. It looks scary to see smoke in March, but it’s actually a good sign. It means there’s less fuel for a wildfire to jump into the canopy of the trees later in the year. If a fire stays on the ground, trees survive. If it gets into the "crowns" or the tops of the trees, everything dies.
Cultural burning is also making a comeback. Indigenous tribes in California used fire as a land management tool for thousands of years before it was outlawed. Now, the state is finally partnering with tribal leaders to bring those practices back. It’s a slow process of un-learning a century of bad forest management.
Is it Safe to Visit?
People ask if they should cancel their trip to Yosemite or Tahoe because of fires. Generally, you shouldn't live in fear of it, but you have to be flexible.
If you're planning a trip between July and October, have a Plan B. If a fire breaks out near your destination, the road closures happen fast. You don't want to be stuck in a mountain valley with one way out when the smoke rolls in. Check the "Caltrans QuickMap" for road closures before you head out.
The reality is that California is still beautiful, and most of it isn't on fire at any given moment. But the threat is always there. It's part of the price of admission for living in a place this stunning.
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What You Should Actually Do Now
Waiting until the sky turns orange is a bad strategy. If you're wondering are there still fires in california because you live here or are moving here, you need a proactive "Go Bag" and a plan.
Hardening Your Home
You don't need to spend $100k to make your house safer. The biggest thing is "defensible space." Clear the dead leaves out of your gutters. That’s where the embers land. If your gutters are full of dry pine needles, your roof catches fire, and the whole house is gone. Swap out your plastic attic vents for 1/8-inch metal mesh. It stops embers from blowing into your attic. These are small things that actually save homes.
Community Awareness
Sign up for your county's emergency alerts. Every county has a system (like CodeRED or Everbridge) that will send a text to your phone if your neighborhood is under an evacuation warning. Don't wait for a knock on the door. By the time the sheriff gets to your street, the roads might already be jammed.
Insurance Reality Check
If you're in a high-risk zone, check your policy today. Many private insurers are pulling out of California entirely. You might end up on the "California FAIR Plan," which is the state-mandated insurer of last resort. It's expensive and it covers less, but it’s better than being uninsured when the big one comes.
The fires aren't going away. We've entered an era where we have to co-exist with fire rather than just trying to beat it into submission. Stay informed, keep your gas tank at least half full during windy weeks, and always have an exit route mapped out.
The most important thing is to stay curious and vigilant. Fire is part of California's DNA; we just happen to be living in the middle of its most active cycle in human history. Check those maps, watch the wind, and keep your gear ready. It’s just the way it is now.
Actionable Steps for Fire Safety
- Download Watch Duty: Get real-time alerts that are faster than mainstream media.
- Clear Your Zone Zero: Remove all flammable material (mulch, wood piles, dead plants) within five feet of your home's foundation.
- Pack a Go-Bag: Include N95 masks (for smoke), copies of important documents, three days of water, and medications.
- Check the AQI: Use AirNow.gov or PurpleAir before planning outdoor activities to protect your lung health.
- Know Your Zone: Look up your specific evacuation zone on your local sheriff’s department website and memorize the "Zone Name" (e.g., LAC-E102).