Creek Fire (2020)

The Creek Fire was a large wildfire which started on September 4, 2020 near Shaver Lake, California. The fire burned 379,895 acres (153,738 ha) and was declared 100% contained on December 24, 2020.[5] The fire burned mostly in the Sierra National Forest. The Creek Fire was the fourth-largest wildfire in modern California history, and the largest single fire not part of a greater complex.[6] The fire necessitated the rescue of hundreds of people by National Guard helicopters.[7] Evacuations were issued in North Fork, Bass Lake, Big Creek, Shaver, Huntington Lake, Tollhouse and Auberry, California.[8] Half the homes in Big Creek were reported to have been destroyed by the fire.[9][10] The Creek Fire destroyed at least 856 buildings and cost over $193 million (2020 USD) in fire suppression costs,[3] while the total property damage is currently unknown.

Creek Fire
Location	Northern California, United States Fresno County Madera County
Coordinates	37.19147°N 119.261175°W
Statistics[1][2]
Total area	379,895 acres (153,738 ha)
Cost	>$193 million (2020 USD)[3]
Date(s)	September 4, 2020 – December 24, 2020
Cause	Under investigation
Buildings destroyed	856
Deaths	0
Non-fatal injuries	26 (12 campers and 14 firefighters)[1][4]
Map
Location of Creek Fire in Northern California

The fire

Animation of the formation of a pyrocumulonimbus above the 2020 Creek Fire in California

The fire began around 6:40 PM PDT on Friday, September 4, 2020, in the Big Creek drainage area between Shaver Lake and Huntington Lake, California. Driven by powerful diurnal upcanyon winds within the San Joaquin River drainage, the Creek Fire quickly became a firestorm, with NASA documenting that the fire created a pyrocumulonimbus cloud (pyroCb), believed to be one of the largest pyroCb events seen in the United States, likely due to the sheer size of the fire.[11] The fire was being fed in part by these clouds, as they generated rain and wind, giving the fire more oxygen, and allowing it to jump fire lines.[12] The fire has been characterized as a plume-dominated blaze, where the environment allows for the continued upward blowing of smoke and the vertical transfer of heat causing extreme fire behavior. Such behavior was seen as multiple fire tornadoes were observed through Doppler weather radar data.[13]

Within the initial 4 days of sparking, the Creek Fire rapidly exploded, expanding anywhere between 20,000 acres (81 km²) to 50,000 acres (200 km²) each day from September 4–9. The main reasons for this explosive behavior were strong, gusty winds pushing east from the Sierra Nevada and also the pileup of about 150 million dead trees in the mountains due to the 2011-17 California drought and the infestation of bark beetles. These dead trees acted as fuel for the fire.[14] With over 290,000 acres (1,200 km²) burned on September 23, the Creek Fire became the largest single blaze in the history of California.[15]

The Creek Fire also spawned two massive fire whirls one on September 7, an EF-2 near Huntington Lake with 125 mph winds, and the second an EF-1 near Mammoth Pool with 100 mph winds, on September 5. The tornadoes caused damage like uprooting pine trees and other smaller trees as well as stripping their bark. These firenadoes were formed due to the intense heat the fire had generated, which pulled in smoke, fire, and dirt creating rotation vortices.[16] The Mammoth Pool firenado trapped hundreds of campers in that area, while the Huntington Lake one caused severe damage to trees in the Camp Silver Fir, B.S.A. & Kennolyn Camps area, that continued to attack their root systems a week later, burning underground at over 1,500 °F (820 °C).[17]

Over the next month, the Creek Fire continued to grow in size, exceeding 300,000 acres (120,000 ha) on September 27. In October, most of the new growth in the Creek Fire was coming from the eastern flank of the fire, which was expanding towards Mono Hot Springs and Lake Thomas A Edison. In late October 2020, the Creek Fire became the fourth-largest fire in the recorded history of California.[6] On October 26, the Creek Fire had grown to 369,362 acres (149,475 ha), while containment was at 63 percent.

Full containment was expected around November 30,[18] however, the fire persisted for another month, before it was fully contained on December 24.[19]

Impact

On September 5, hours after the fire broke out, the Fresno County Sheriff's Office closed Shaver Lake, a popular destination for boating and camping. The California Highway Patrol also shut down California State Route 168 for access only to emergency responders and evacuees.[20]

On September 7, California governor Gavin Newsom issued a state of emergency for the Creek Fire in the Fresno, Madera, and Mariposa counties, as the fire crossed State Route 168 and was rapidly moving southward, threatening the community of Shaver Lake. The town of Big Creek was already decimated on September 5. 1,000 firefighters were called to fight this fire, which was already 78,000 acres (320 km²) large with no containment, moving quickly towards cabins, homes, and shops.[21]

Firefighters extinguish a controlled burn to stop the spread of the Creek Fire

Fire progression map of the Creek Fire, on October 26, 2020

Scores of people were airlifted from hiking trails within the Sierra National Forest in the early days of the fire, with at least 150 people and some dogs evacuated by September 8.[22] The fire had initially trapped about 1,000 people near Mammoth Pool Reservoir after it jumped the San Joaquin river, with at least 200 individuals trapped at a boat launch.[13]

On September 9, at least 60 homes were destroyed and 278 commercial-residential structures were destroyed along with the historic Cressman's General Store, a local-landmark.[23] On September 9, the fire reached explosives stored by the China Peak Mountain Resort that were used to control avalanches causing the cache to explode. Firefighters had been warned of the cache and evacuated prior to the fire reaching the explosive materials.[24]

On September 22, the fire had destroyed more than 855 structures and forced the evacuation of over 30,000 people in Fresno and Madera Counties.[1][25] Smoke from the fire, worsened the air quality in the Central Valley area and caused an increase in at-risk individuals and children to be affected by respiratory issues and an increase in the use and prescribing of inhalers.[26] On September 17, the Boy Scouts of America - Southern Sierra Council announced that the fire had badly damaged Camp Kern, with some significant structures fully destroyed by the fire.[27]

Multiple organizations and locations housed pets and livestock during the evacuations, such as the Fresno Fairgrounds,[28] Clovis Rodeo Grounds and local high schools.[29] The Red Cross organized hotel rooms for evacuees; group shelters were not an available option due to COVID-19 pandemic social distancing requirements.[23]

Other

On September 15, Gavin Newsom and California senator Kamala Harris travelled to Fresno County to survey Creek Fire damage. They were met with both supporters and protestors. They talked to first responders about their efforts to fight the fire, as well as wildfire evacuees.[30] They also addressed climate change as a major problem facing California and the country, helping to fuel wildfires like the Creek Fire.[31] However, an Auberry family accused the pair of using their property for photo-op purposes, merely to push their political agenda, before even the family themselves could survey the damage.[32][33]

Fire growth and containment process

Fire containment status[2]
Gray: contained; Red: active; %: percent contained;

Date	Area burned acres	Containment
Sep 5	36,000	0%
Sep 6	73,278	0%
Sep 7	78,790	0%
Sep 8	152,833	0%
Sep 9	163,138	0%
Sep 10	175,893	0%
Sep 11	182,225	6%
Sep 12	196,667	8%
Sep 13	201,908	10%
Sep 14	212,744	16%
Sep 15	228,025	18%
Sep 16	244,746	18%
Sep 17	246,756	20%
Sep 18	248,256	20%
Sep 19	271,938	25%
Sep 20	278,368	27%
Sep 21	280,425	30%
Sep 22	283,724	30%
Sep 23	289,695	32%
Sep 24	291,426	34%
Sep 25	291,426	36%
Sep 26	292,172	39%
Sep 27	302,870	39%
Sep 28	304,604	39%
Sep 29	306,240	44%
Sep 30	307,051	44%
Oct 1	309,033	44%
Oct 2	311,703	45%
Oct 3	313,044	49%
Oct 4	316,673	49%
Oct 5	322,089	48%
Oct 6	326,706	49%
Oct 7	328,595	49%
Oct 8	330,899	49%
Oct 9	331,954	49%
Oct 10	333,350	49%
Oct 11	333,350	55%
Oct 12	333,350	55%
Oct 13	337,655	55%
Oct 14	337,655	55%
Oct 15	341,722	55%
Oct 16	344,042	60%
Oct 19	350,331	61%
Oct 20	352,339	61%
Oct 22	357,656	61%
Oct 25	360,834	61%
Oct 26	369,362	63%
Oct 27	374,466	63%
Oct 28	378,701	63%
Nov 4	380,002	70%
Nov 23	379,895	95%
Dec 2	379,895	96%
Dec 3	379,895	96%
Dec 24[19]	379,895	100%

See also

• 2020 California wildfires
• List of California wildfires

References

1. "Creek Fire". California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. October 26, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
2. "Creek Fire Information". inciweb.nwcg.gov. InciWeb. November 23, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
3. 2020 National Large Incident Year-to-Date Report (PDF). Geographic Area Coordination Center (Report). National Interagency Fire Center. December 21, 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 29, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
4. "Creek Fire Update: National Guard Helicopter Rescue Missions Turned Back By Heavy Smoke; Fire Grows To 135,523 Acres; One Death In Fire". September 7, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
5. Olow, Alex (December 24, 2020). "Sierra National Forest Declares the Creek Fire 100% contained". United States Department of Agriculture. Sierra National Forest. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
6. Report, CAL Fire (October 26, 2020). "Top 20 Largest California Wildfires" (PDF). Cal Fire. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
7. Fedschun, Travis (September 6, 2020). "Creek Fire". Foxnews. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
8. "Creek Fire forces evacuation of entire town in central California". KTLA5. September 8, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
9. Warszawski, Marek (September 6, 2020). "Creek Fire consumes half the homes in tiny town. 'Words cannot describe the devastation'". Fresno Bee. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
10. Romero, Sheyenne N. (September 6, 2020). "More than 200 campers rescued by helicopter as Creek Fire prompts state of emergency in California: What we know". USA Today. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
11. Jenner, Lynn (2020-09-08). "California's Creek Fire Creates Its Own Pyrocumulonimbus Cloud". NASA. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
12. Murphy, Paul (2020-09-09). "The Creek Fire is creating massive thunderhead clouds that are fueling its growth". The Mercury News. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
13. Freedman, Andrew (September 6, 2020). "California endures record-setting 'kiln-like' heat as fires rage, causing injuries". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
14. Yurong, Dale (9 September 2020). "Creek Fire: Wildfire burning at historic pace through Sierra Nevada". KFSN. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
15. Julia Jacobo (September 24, 2020). "Creek Fire becomes largest single blaze in California history". ABC News. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
16. Jenn, Selva (24 September 2020). "California's largest single wildfire spawned two massive firenados -- one was an EF2". CNN. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
17. Anteola, Bryant-Jon (13 September 2020). "'Fire tornado' hit Huntington Lake, with some roots still burning at more than 1,500 degrees". The Fresno Bee. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
18. Tobias, Manuela (November 3, 2020). "Creek Fire update, Nov. 3: Here's what firefighters are up against, how to get help". Retrieved December 7, 2020.
19. Olow, Alex (December 24, 2020). "Sierra National Forest Declares the Creek Fire 100% contained". United States Department of Agriculture. Sierra National Forest. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
20. "Wildfire forces evacuation, closed access to California lake". Associated Press. San Diego Union Tribune. 5 September 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
21. Romero, Sheyanne N (7 September 2020). "Gov. Newsom announces state of emergency after Creek Fire tears through 78,000 acres". Visalia Times-Delta. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
22. Favro, Marianne (September 8, 2020). "3 South Bay Backpackers Rescued From Raging Creek Fire". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
23. Hughes, Trevor (September 9, 2020). "The human toll of Creek Fire: 'Our entire community is gone'". VisaliaTimesDelta.com. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
24. Yeager, Joshua (September 11, 2020). "'A real milestone': Creek Fire reaches 6% containment, 175,000 acres burned". VisaliaTimesDelta.com. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
25. Ortiz, John Bacon, Trevor Hughes and Jorge L. (September 9, 2020). "'We could hear the trees exploding': Deadly swath of wildfires rage in the West; death toll rises to 6". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
26. Yurong, Dale (September 17, 2020). "Creek Fire: More Valley kids experiencing respiratory issues since wildfire started". ABC30 Fresno. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
27. Staff, BakersfieldNow (2020-09-17). "Camp Kern destroyed by Creek Fire". KBAK. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
28. Girardin, Shayla (2020-09-10). "Fresno Fairgrounds opens as an animal evacuation shelter, donations needed". ABC30 Fresno. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
29. Price, Nancy (2020-09-09). "Animals Find Shelter from Creek Fire at Clovis North, Clovis Rodeo Grounds". GV Wire. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
30. Gonzalez, Liz (15 September 2020). "Sen. Kamala Harris tours Creek Fire damage, visits evacuees". KMPH-TV. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
31. Yeager, Joshua (15 September 2020). "Kamala Harris on global warming: 'This is not a partisan issue. It's just a fact'". Visalia Times-Delta. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
32. Edinger, Marie (16 September 2020). "Auberry family says Harris and Newsom trespassed in damaged home for photo op". KMPH-TV. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
33. Collman, Ashley (18 September 2020). "A California family is accusing Kamala Harris and Gov. Gavin Newsom of trespassing on their wildfire-ravaged property for a photo op". Business Insider. Retrieved 21 November 2020.

External links

• Cal Fire incident page