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| 2020 Western United States wildfires | |
|---|---|
| Title | 2020 Western United States wildfires |
| Caption | Satellite view of smoke from the 2020 Western United States wildfires |
| Date | August–December 2020 |
| Area | ~10,000,000 acres |
| Fatalities | 40+ (direct), 100+ (indirect) |
| Structures destroyed | Tens of thousands |
| Cause | Human activity, lightning, climate factors |
| Location | Western United States |
2020 Western United States wildfires were a series of unprecedented wildfires across the western United States that produced massive burns, widespread smoke, and major societal impacts during 2020. The events affected multiple states, prompted national and international attention, and intersected with ongoing crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, debates over climate change policy, and discussions of federal land management involving the United States Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. The fires catalyzed emergency declarations by the President of the United States and coordinated responses across state lines involving agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Interagency Fire Center.
The 2020 season followed record seasons like the 2018 California wildfires and 2019 Oregon wildfires and occurred amid long-term trends identified in reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the National Climate Assessment. Complex drivers included prolonged drought observed by the United States Drought Monitor, anomalous heat linked to the North American heat wave of 2020, and fuel accumulation on public lands managed by the United States Forest Service and the National Park Service. Ignitions originated from diverse sources ranging from lightning associated with the Western United States monsoon to human activities investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and state fire marshals; damaged infrastructure involving utilities such as Pacific Gas and Electric Company and Pacific Power was implicated in several large ignitions.
Notable incidents included the August Complex Fire in California—which became the largest recorded wildfire in California history—alongside the Creek Fire (2020) and the Dolan Fire; in Oregon the Santiam Fire and the South Obenchain Fire were prominent, while Washington (state) saw the Sagle Fire and the Cold Springs Fire among others. The fires produced complex incidents spanning multiple jurisdictions, prompting mutual aid through systems like the Emergency Management Assistance Compact and involving state governors such as Gavin Newsom, Kate Brown, and Jay Inslee. Aviation assets from the United States Air Force and international mutual aid, including crews from Canada and Australia, supported suppression efforts amid rapidly spreading incidents like the LNU Lightning Complex and the CZU Lightning Complex.
Human impacts encompassed fatalities, mass evacuations that displaced residents from communities including Eureka (California), Medford, Oregon, and Kennewick, Washington, and disruptions to events like the 2020 United States presidential election logistics in affected counties. Environmental effects included large losses of habitat for species such as the California condor, spotted owl, and salmon runs in the Columbia River basin, with fires affecting landscapes managed by the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and private landowners. Economic consequences hit sectors like the tourism industry, agriculture of California, and the timber industry, and influenced insurance markets involving companies like State Farm and Allstate, with estimates of insured and uninsured losses discussed by the Insurance Information Institute.
Firefighting operations integrated tactics from the National Interagency Fire Center, state fire agencies such as the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Oregon Department of Forestry, and local volunteer brigades affiliated with organizations like the American Red Cross and Salvation Army. Interagency coordination employed unified command structures used in incidents like the Yosemite National Park responses, and firefighting relied on resources including Type 1 incident management teams, helicopters procured through the United States Forest Service Aviation Operations, and contracted air tankers overseen by the Federal Aviation Administration. Mutual aid compacts and presidential disaster declarations activated funding and logistics channels via the Federal Emergency Management Agency and state emergency offices.
Widespread smoke from the fires degraded air quality across the Pacific Northwest, the Sierra Nevada, and downwind regions including Colorado and the Midwest (United States), triggering air advisories from the Environmental Protection Agency and state departments such as the California Air Resources Board. Studies by institutions including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health linked wildfire particulate exposure to increased respiratory and cardiovascular impacts, complicating care during the COVID-19 pandemic and stressing hospitals like Kaiser Permanente facilities. Public health responses included distribution of N95 respirators coordinated by local health departments and guidance from the World Health Organization on smoke exposure during respiratory pandemics.
Post-season investigations involved state attorneys general and agencies such as the California Public Utilities Commission and the Oregon State Fire Marshal examining utility involvement, while congressional hearings in the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives examined federal roles. Policy debates invoked legislation like the Wildfire Resilience Act proposals and administrative actions by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior to increase fuels reduction funding, including expanding prescribed burns and mechanical thinning on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the United States Forest Service. Legal outcomes included litigation against utilities such as Pacific Gas and Electric Company and regulatory decisions by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Recovery efforts engaged federal programs administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and state recovery offices, nonprofit partners including the Nature Conservancy and The Trust for Public Land, and scientific monitoring by the United States Geological Survey. Restoration projects prioritized post-fire erosion control in watersheds feeding the Sacramento River and the Klamath River, reforestation using protocols from the United States Forest Service, and community rebuilding in affected towns like Paradise, California and Talent, Oregon. The 2020 fires influenced subsequent policy such as increased funding in the Inflation Reduction Act era for climate resilience and accelerated attention to landscape-scale treatments championed by agencies and conservation organizations.
Category:Wildfires in the United States Category:2020 natural disasters in the United States