The Camp Fire
The Camp Fire is the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. Driven by strong downslope winds through drought-cured fuels, it burned into the town of Paradise within hours of ignition, killing 85 people and destroying nearly 19,000 structures.
Shaded circle = 153,336 acres burned
The shaded circle covers the same area as the fire’s recorded footprint, centered near its origin. Real perimeters were irregular and wind-driven.
Key facts
What happened
The fire ignited around 6:30 a.m. on November 8, 2018, beneath a PG&E transmission line in the Feather River Canyon near Pulga. Winds gusting past 50 mph pushed embers miles ahead of the fire front, and spot fires overwhelmed the ridgetop town of Paradise before a full evacuation could complete. Many victims died in their homes or vehicles while trying to escape on gridlocked roads.
By the time it was contained on November 25, the Camp Fire had burned 153,336 acres and leveled about 95 percent of the structures in Paradise, a town of roughly 26,000 people.
Why it matters
The Camp Fire changed how utilities, insurers, and governments treat wildfire risk. CAL FIRE investigators traced the ignition to a worn C-hook on PG&E's century-old Caribou-Palermo line. PG&E filed for bankruptcy in January 2019, pled guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter, and funded a multi-billion dollar settlement trust for victims.
The disaster also accelerated Public Safety Power Shutoffs across the West, in which utilities preemptively cut power during dangerous wind events, and drove new research into evacuation planning for towns with limited road capacity.
Paradise today
Paradise has been rebuilding steadily, with stricter defensible-space rules, buried power lines, and widened evacuation routes. The town's population remains well below its pre-fire level, and standing dead trees and empty lots still mark much of the burn footprint.
Frequently asked questions
What caused the Camp Fire?
CAL FIRE determined the fire was started by electrical transmission lines owned and operated by PG&E, specifically a failed suspension hook on the Caribou-Palermo line near Pulga.
How many people died in the Camp Fire?
85 people died, making it the deadliest wildfire in California history and the deadliest US wildfire since 1918.
Was the town of Paradise completely destroyed?
About 95 percent of Paradise's structures were destroyed, including roughly 11,000 homes. The town has been rebuilding since, but its population is still far below the roughly 26,000 people who lived there before the fire.
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Keep reading
Sources
- CAL FIRE Camp Fire incident page
- CAL FIRE investigation announcement (May 2019)
- Butte County District Attorney report on PG&E
- NIST Camp Fire case study
Facts checked against the sources above. Figures such as costs and death tolls follow the most widely accepted official counts.