California is currently breathing. For the first time in a long time, the horizon isn't a permanent shade of bruised orange. But if you’re asking what happened to the California fires, the answer isn't a simple "they went away." It’s more like a violent, unpredictable pause.
The state just came off a series of winters that were, frankly, weird. We had "Atmospheric Rivers" dumping trillions of gallons of water, turning brown hills into a vibrant, deceptive green. Everyone celebrated. We thought the drought was broken. But in the world of wildland firefighting, that's actually terrifying. All that rain grew "fine fuels"—grass and weeds—that dried out the second the sun hit 90 degrees.
Why the fire season felt different lately
It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster. You have years like 2020 where the August Complex fire burned over a million acres by itself. Just one fire. Then you get years like 2023 where things stayed relatively quiet. But don't let the quiet fool you. The "quiet" was mostly due to the fact that the higher elevations stayed wet longer.
The California fires didn't just stop; the math of the forest changed. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) has been screaming about this for years. We are seeing a transition from "timber fires," which crawl through big trees, to "shrub and grass fires" that move at the speed of a sprinting horse.
What happened to the California fires and the "Good Fire" movement
There is a massive shift happening in how we manage the land. For a century, the policy was "put it out immediately." If a match dropped, a tanker was in the air. We got too good at it. By putting out every single fire for 100 years, we created a tinderbox. Dead wood piled up. Small trees that should have burned off in natural cycles grew into thickets.
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Now, we’re seeing more prescribed burns. These are planned fires set by professionals when the humidity is just right. Experts like Dr. Scott Stephens at UC Berkeley have been advocating for this forever. They’re trying to mimic what Indigenous tribes did for millennia.
- Prescribed burning: It’s smoky and it scares people, but it saves towns.
- Cultural burning: Bringing back tribal knowledge to manage the oaks.
- Mechanical thinning: Literally going in with chainsaws to clear out the "ladder fuels" that let a ground fire climb into the canopy.
It's messy. People complain about the air quality from a prescribed burn, but honestly, it’s a choice between a little smoke now or a "Camp Fire" level disaster later.
The Role of Utility Companies
We can't talk about what's going on without mentioning PG&E and Southern California Edison. They’ve been under fire—pun intended—for their aging infrastructure. After the 2018 Paradise disaster, the legal landscape shifted. Now, when the wind picks up, they just kill the power.
Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) are the new normal. It’s annoying to lose your fridge full of food because it’s windy, but it's better than a downed line sparking a 50,000-acre blaze in a canyon. The companies are burying thousands of miles of lines now. It's expensive. Your bill is going up because of it.
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The "Zombie" Fires and New Tech
One of the wildest things to happen recently is the use of AI and night-vision. CAL FIRE now uses a network of over 1,000 cameras that use AI to "spot" smoke before a human even calls 911. They also started flying "Night Fire" missions. Historically, pilots stopped flying at sunset because it was too dangerous. Now, with thermal imaging and specialized training, they’re dropping water at 2:00 AM.
That’s a game-changer. Fires usually "lay down" at night when the temperature drops and humidity rises. If you can hit them while they’re sleepy, you win.
The Human Cost and the Insurance Nightmare
If you live in the "WUI"—the Wildland-Urban Interface—you know exactly what happened to the California fires. Your insurance company probably dropped you.
State Farm and Allstate grabbed headlines by pausing new homeowners' policies in California. They looked at the models and realized the risk was too high. This has sent people scrambling for the "FAIR Plan," which is the state's insurer of last resort. It’s expensive and provides minimal coverage.
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It’s a crisis. If you can't get insurance, you can't get a mortgage. If you can't get a mortgage, the housing market in beautiful places like Nevada City or Ojai starts to buckle. This is where the environmental disaster hits the bank account.
How to actually protect your home right now
Stop thinking about the big forest fire and start thinking about embers. Most houses that burn don't get swallowed by a giant wall of flame. They get hit by "ember showers." Tiny glowing coals fly two miles ahead of the fire and land in your gutters or under your deck.
- The 5-foot zone: This is the most important thing you can do. Clear everything combustible within five feet of your house. No mulch. No bushes. Just gravel or concrete.
- Gutter Guards: Clean your gutters. If there are dry leaves in there, your roof is basically a giant candle wick.
- Vents: Switch out your attic vents for ember-resistant mesh. It costs maybe $100 but stops the fire from getting inside your attic.
- The "Go-Bag": It sounds paranoid until you have 10 minutes to leave. Keep your hard drives, passports, and a change of clothes in a bag by the door from July to November.
The reality of the California fires is that we are learning to live with them rather than trying to defeat them. You can't defeat a force of nature fueled by a warming climate and a century of fuel buildup. You just mitigate the damage. You adapt.
We’re seeing more "Firewise" communities where entire neighborhoods work together to clear brush. It works. When the flames hit a managed area, they drop from the treetops to the ground. That gives firefighters a chance to actually stand their ground.
California isn't "burning down" every year, but the way we live in the West has fundamentally changed. We've traded the fear of the unknown for the reality of the inevitable. Keep your weeds trimmed and your gas tank full.
Actionable Steps for Homeowners
- Check your "Defensible Space" status via the CAL FIRE website to see if you meet the current legal requirements for zone clearing.
- Audit your insurance policy today; do not wait for a renewal notice to find out you’ve been non-renewed.
- Sign up for your specific county's emergency alert system (like CodeRED or Everbridge) because cell towers are often the first things to burn, and you need every second of lead time available.
- Invest in "hardened" home upgrades like fiber-cement siding or multi-paned tempered glass windows if you are in a high-risk zone.