You're probably looking for a specific date, right? A single Tuesday in August when everything went up in smoke. But if you ask a CAL FIRE captain or a climatologist at UCLA, they’ll tell you that asking when did the wildfires start in california is actually a bit of a trick question.
Fire has always been here.
California’s ecosystem literally evolved to burn. Long before the 2020 "megafires" or the 2018 Camp Fire that leveled Paradise, indigenous populations used cultural burning to manage the land. Honestly, the real "start" of the modern wildfire crisis isn't a date on a calendar—it's a combination of a century of fire suppression and a climate that’s getting weirder by the second.
We used to have a "fire season" that ran from June to October. That’s gone. Now, we have a fire year.
The Shift From Seasons to Cycles
If we’re talking about the massive, record-breaking blazes that dominate the news, the timeline usually kicks off in late spring. As the Sierra Nevada snowpack melts and the annual grasses in the Central Valley turn from green to a brittle gold, the risk spikes. Historically, the most destructive fires wait for the "devil winds"—the Santa Anas in the south and the Diablos in the north—which usually show up in September and October.
Think back to 2020. That was the year that changed everything.
In August of that year, a massive dry lightning siege hit Northern California. Thousands of bolts struck parched earth in a matter of days. It wasn't just one fire; it was hundreds. That single event sparked the August Complex, which became the first "gigafire" in modern history, scorching over a million acres.
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So, when people ask when did the wildfires start in california for that specific era of devastation, the answer is often August 16-17, 2020. But that's just one piece of the puzzle.
Why the Start Date Keeps Moving
It’s getting earlier.
In 2021, the Dixie Fire—which eventually became the second-largest in state history—started on July 13. By the time it was contained, it had burned through five counties. We’re seeing major incidents in May now. Sometimes even April.
The "when" is dictated by three things:
- Fuel moisture (how crunchy the plants are).
- Spark source (power lines, lightning, or that one guy with a weed whacker hitting a rock).
- Wind speed.
When those three align, the season starts.
The Role of History and Policy
We have to talk about the 10 a.m. Policy. Back in 1935, the U.S. Forest Service decided every fire should be suppressed by 10 a.m. the day after it was reported. It sounds like a good idea, right? Keep things small.
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Actually, it backfired.
By putting out every single small fire for nearly a century, we allowed a massive amount of "fuel"—dead trees, thick underbrush, and pine needles—to build up on the forest floor. Essentially, we turned the California wilderness into a giant tinderbox. When a fire finally does get away from crews today, it has so much "food" that it becomes a monster that no amount of Phos-Chek can stop.
Dr. Scott Stephens at UC Berkeley has been beating this drum for years. He points out that the forests are way too dense. Where there used to be 50 to 100 trees per acre, there are now often 300 to 400. They’re all competing for the same limited water, which makes them stressed and prone to dying. And dead trees burn like crazy.
Specific Years That Redefined the Timeline
If you're looking for the start dates of the "Big Ones" that people still talk about, here's the breakdown of the most notorious offenders:
- The Camp Fire (2018): Started November 8. This was terrifyingly late in the year. People thought they were safe by November, but the rains hadn't come, and the winds were screaming.
- The Mendocino Complex (2018): Started July 27.
- The Thomas Fire (2017): Started December 4. Yes, December. It proved that Southern California is never truly out of the woods.
- The Cedar Fire (2003): Started October 25. This was the one that woke up San Diego to the reality of modern fire behavior.
You see the pattern? There isn't one. It’s erratic.
The Human Element (The "How" Matters as Much as the "When")
Nature rarely starts these fires anymore. While lightning sieges happen, the vast majority of California’s most destructive blazes are human-caused.
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We’re talking about faulty utility equipment—like the PG&E lines that caused the Camp Fire—or simple accidents. A flat tire throwing sparks from a rim. A chain dragging behind a trailer. Even gender reveal parties gone horribly wrong (looking at you, El Dorado Fire of 2020).
Because humans are living further and further into what we call the WUI—the Wildland-Urban Interface—the "start" of a fire is almost always near a road or a house. This makes the fires much more dangerous because they don't have to travel far to start burning neighborhoods.
How to Prepare Before the Smoke Hits
Knowing when did the wildfires start in california in the past helps us realize that we can't wait for a specific month to get ready. Preparation has to be a year-round thing now.
You should start with your "Defensible Space." This isn't just a buzzword. It’s the 100 feet around your home. You want to limb up your trees so a ground fire can’t "ladder" up into the canopy. Clean your gutters. Seriously. Embers can fly miles ahead of a fire front, land in a gutter full of dry leaves, and burn your house down from the top down before the main fire even gets close.
Actionable Steps for Homeowners:
- Hardening the Home: Swap out plastic attic vents for 1/8-inch metal mesh. This keeps embers out of your attic. It's a cheap fix that saves houses.
- The Five-Foot Zone: The first five feet around your foundation should be "non-combustible." Use gravel or pavers instead of bark mulch.
- Go-Bags: Don't wait until the sheriff is banging on your door. Have your "6 P’s" ready: People and pets, Papers (deeds, birth certificates), Prescriptions, Pictures, Personal computer, and Plastic (credit cards/cash).
- Sign Up for Alerts: Every county has an emergency alert system (like CodeRED or AlertSCC). If you aren't signed up, you’re relying on luck.
The reality is that California’s landscape is designed to burn, and our climate is making those burns more intense. We can't stop the wind, and we can't stop the heat, but we can change how we live in the path of it. The fires start whenever the land is dry and the wind is blowing—which, in the modern era, is almost any time.
Stay vigilant, keep your brush cleared, and always have an exit plan.
References for Further Reading:
- CAL FIRE Incidents Portal - Real-time and historical data on California fires.
- UC Berkeley Stephens Lab - Research on wildland fire science and forest management.
- The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) - National statistics and outlooks for fire potential.
- California 4th Climate Change Assessment - Detailed reports on how rising temperatures affect fire frequency.