As Lava Fire rages on, here’s a look at California’s top 5 fires of 2021 — so far
The Lava Fire in Siskiyou County exploded to 13,330 acres as of Tuesday morning. In the process, it became California’s largest wildfire of the 2021 fire season, so far.
Fire season generally runs through the summer and fall, and with hot conditions and record-breaking drought, experts expect 2021’s season to be especially long and severe.
Although there is far more to come, here is a look back at the five biggest fires the state has seen this year.
The Lava Fire
The Lava Fire ignited in Siskiyou County in Northern California on June 24. According to an incident report, the fire was sparked by a lightning strike and is currently burning in brush and timber.
The fire began small, but grew nearly 13 times in size on Monday alone due to gusting winds.
The fire is currently burning 3.5 miles northeast of Weed, and 4.5 miles southeast of Lake Shastina.
Evacuations were ordered Monday afternoon for the Lake Shastina and Juniper Valley areas, affecting thousands of people.
As of Tuesday morning, the fire is 20% contained. No injuries or structure damages have been reported yet.
The Southern Fire
The Southern Fire, which burned from May 2 to May 6, is the second-largest fire this season. The fire burned 5,366 acres in Southern California before it was fully contained.
The brush fire began in San Diego County, in Shelter Valley east of the town of Julian. It grew to more than 1,000 acres within the first 90 minutes, and continued to spread over the following days.
The fire prompted evacuation orders that affected roughly 500 residents, KPBS reported.
According to Cal Fire, three single-family residences and two accessory buildings were destroyed in the fire. No injuries were reported.
The Willow Fire
The Willow Fire began in Monterey County on June 17. As of Tuesday morning, the fire has burned 2,877 acres and is 87% contained.
The fire has burned in the Ventana Wilderness for over twelve days. Per an incident report current as of June 28, the fire is not expected to spread.
The fire initially threatened the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, a Buddhist monastery run by the San Francisco Zen Center. But as of Monday night, the threat was diminished.
No homes or buildings have been destroyed.
The Mojave Fire
The Mojave Fire began on June 17, in the Mojave National Preserve near Sawtooth Mountain. The fire burned 2,490 acres in the desert, threatening Joshua Trees and desert animals.
The fire, which was originally caused by a lightning strike, was 95% contained as of June 24.
No structures were destroyed by the fire and no injuries were reported.
The Shell Fire
The Shell Fire began in Kern County on Sunday, after a car fire ignited brush along Interstate 5.
The fire had burned 1,984 acres as of Tuesday morning, and is 65% contained.
The fire is burning along I-5 and Grapevine Road. No evacuations have been ordered, and no structures appear to be threatened.
This story was originally published June 29, 2021 at 11:55 AM.