Last updated October 15, 2021
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California Wine Country Fires October 2017

United States

Trends in California driven by climate change—including higher temperatures and drier conditions—are elevating the risk of dangerous and destructive wildfires across California and the western United States.

On October 8, a group of fires exploded across a wide swath of Northern California.[1] Taken as a group, the fires are among the worst on record in the state in terms of lives and property lost.[2][3] After just one week, the fires have killed at least 41 people, burnt more than 200,000 acres, destroyed or damaged more than 5,500 homes, and displaced 100,000 people.[4] Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Sonoma and Yuba counties.[5]

By the end, the Wine Country fires killed 42 people, destroyed 8,700 homes and buildings, and burned 245,000 acres.[6] The event was deadliest, most destructive, and one of the largest fires in California history.[7][8][9][10]

The combination of a wet winter followed by extreme heat and dryness has fueled record wildfires in many Western states.[11] Climate change compounds the risks of wildfires by extending the length of the fire season and adding to the intensity of droughts and heat waves. Park Williams, a climate and drought expert, noted, “... the combination of dry fuel, extreme heat and climate change is a recipe for what we are seeing."[12]

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