2003 California wildfires

The 2003 California wildfires were a series of wildfires that were active in the state of California during the year 2003. In total, there were 9,116 fires[2] that burned 1,020,460 acres (4,129.7 km²) of land.[3][4]

2003 California wildfires
Satellite view of the October 2003 wildfires in Southern California, depicting the smoke blowing out over the Pacific Ocean.
Statistics[1][2][3]
Total fires	9,116
Total area	1,020,460 acres (4,129.7 km^2)[3][4]
Cost	>$2.729 billion (2003 USD)[5][6][1]
Deaths	24 civilians[7] 1 firefighter
Non-fatal injuries	At least 1 firefighter,[4] 36 civilians
Season
← 2002 2004 →

2003 California wildfires resulted in 24 fatalities; many of the victims were killed in their cars while trying to flee.[8][9]

By the time the 14 major fires were extinguished, 24 lives were lost, 3,710 homes were destroyed and 750,043 acres were blackened. In addition, countless miles of power lines were damaged, communication systems destroyed, watersheds reduced to bare scorched soils and thousands of people were forced into evacuation centers, unsure if they would have a home to return to—many did not."[10]

Fires

Below is a list of fires that exceeded 1,000 acres (4.0 km²) during the 2003 fire season.[3] The list is taken from CAL FIRE's list of large fires.

Name	County	Acres	Km^2	Start Date	Contained Date	Notes
Local	Riverside	12,000	48.6	February 23, 2003	February 23, 2003
Delima	Tulare	3,000	12.1	May 3, 2003	May 3, 2003
Bird	San Joaquin	6,804	27.5	June 1, 2003	June 1, 2003
Tejon	Kern	1,155	4.7	June 29, 2003	June 2, 2003	2 structures destroyed
Parkhill	San Luis Obispo	1,200	4.9	July 20, 2003	July 22, 2003	18 structures destroyed
Kibbie Complex	Tuolumne	9,815	39.7	July 20, 2003	October 2, 2003
Coyote	San Diego	18,705	75.7	July 16, 2003	July 26, 2003	2 structures destroyed
Locust	Riverside	1,898	7.7	August 18, 2003	August 20, 2003	1 structure destroyed
Canoe	Humboldt	24,882	100.7	September 3, 2003	October 15, 2003	2 structures damaged
Pass	Riverside	2,397	9.7	October 21, 2003	October 23, 2003	3 structures destroyed
Grand Prix	San Bernardino	66,894	270.7	October 21, 2003	November 5, 2003	136 structures destroyed
Piru	Ventura	63,991	259.0	October 23, 2003	November 14, 2003	8 structures destroyed
Verdale	Los Angeles	8,650	35.0	October 24, 2003	October 24, 2003	1 structure destroyed
Simi	Ventura	108,204	437.9	October 25, 2003	November 5, 2003	300 structures destroyed, 21 injuries
Cedar	San Diego	273,246	1,105.8	October 25, 2003	December 5, 2003	2,820 structures destroyed, 15 fatalities
Old	San Bernardino	91,281	369.4	October 25, 2003	November 14, 2003	1,003 structures destroyed, 6 fatalities
Otay	San Diego	46,291	187.3	October 26, 2003	October 27, 2003	1 residential structure and 5 outbuildings destroyed, 1 firefighter injured[4]
Mine	San Diego	46,000	186.2	October 26, 2003	October 28, 2003
Mountain	Riverside	10,000	40.5	October 26, 2003	October 29, 2003	61 structures destroyed
Paradise	San Diego	56,700	229.5	October 26, 2003	November 6, 2003	223 structures destroyed, 2 fatalities
Whitmore	Shasta	1,200	4.9	October 27, 2003	October 30, 2003

References

1. "Cedar Fire Memorial". www.lakesidehistory.org. Archived from the original on 23 June 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
2. "National Report of Wildland Fires and Acres Burned by State in 2003" (PDF). National Interagency Fire Center. 2004. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
3. "Large Fires 2003" (PDF). CAL FIRE. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
4. "Otay Fire". CalFire. October 27, 2003. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
5. Dr. Tomas Girnius; Tyler Hauteniemi; Scott Stransky (August 2008). "California Wildfire: How Large Can The Losses Be?" (PDF). AIRCurrents. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 12, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
6. "CDF 2003 Fire Season Summary" (PDF). CalFire. May 2005. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
7. Jack A. Blackwell; Andrea Tuttle (2004). "California Fire Siege 2003: The Story" (PDF). CalFire. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
8. Mutch, R.W. "FACES: The Story of the Victims of Southern California‘s 2003 Fire Siege", by Robert W. Mutch; Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center; July 2007.
9. USDA "The 2003 San Diego County Fire Siege Fire safety Review"; USDA Forest Service; 2003.
10. The California Fire Siege 2003: The Story – October 21 - November 4, 2003 by J.A. Blackwell & A. Tuttle; Pacific Southwest Region U.S. Forest Service & California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection 2003.

External links

• Jack A. Blackwell; Andrea Tuttle (2004). "California Fire Siege 2003: The Story" (PDF). CalFire. Retrieved December 11, 2017.