SACRAMENTO – Five years ago, California was hit by the biggest wildfire year on record – and in the years since, Governor Gavin Newsom, the legislature and state fire officials have supercharged California’s firefighting response and prevention efforts to match the new climate realities.  

On August 15, 2020, an intense dry lightning storm sparked hundreds of wildfires across California. Over four months, more than 4.2 million acres burned, making it the largest wildfire year in recorded state history. Communities were destroyed, watersheds damaged, and ecosystems changed for generations.

The 2020 lightning siege claimed 31 lives, destroyed or damaged more than 10,000 structures, and produced California’s first “gigafire” when the August Complex exceeded one million acres. The SCU and LNU Lightning Complexes ranked among the largest fires on record, while the Creek Fire in Fresno County became the biggest single (non-complex) fire in state history.

The disaster struck during the COVID-19 pandemic, stretching resources thin. In addition to local and federal fire agencies, CAL FIRE relied on mutual aid from across the nation, the California Conservation Corps, the California National Guard, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).

Since then, CAL FIRE has dramatically expanded staffing and resources. Over 2,500 permanent positions have been added, the peak staffing period for seasonal personnel has extended from six to nine months, and the department has continued to diversify its hand crew programs to offset reductions in CDCR hand crews’ availability.

(Photo Source：The Governor Office Newsroom)