Although California’s summer fire season isn’t anywhere near over, the series of wildfires scorching the state have already taken a staggering toll.
Nine lives have been lost across the state as flames consumed an area larger than the city of Los Angeles.
A total of 2,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed, and nearly 36,000 residents forced to evacuate their homes.
With thousands of firefighters spread across all parts of the state, here’s a look at the fiery destruction by the numbers.
There are 17 major fires
There are 17 large wildfires burning across the state and more than 14,000 firefighters working to put out the blazes, Cal Fire said on Tuesday.
The two largest fires are the Mendocino Complex Fire — which itself is made up of two nearby fires that officials have combined — and the Carr Fire. The Mendocino Complex is now the largest fire in state history, and the Carr Fire is the 12th largest.
In Southern California, the largest this year have been the Cranston Fire and Holy Fire, the latter of which broke out on Monday.
The Holy Fire, burning on the border of Orange and Riverside counties, has singed nearly 4,000 acres and forced evacuations. It was just 5 percent contained Tuesday night.
Five homes were destroyed near Idyllwild in the Cranston Fire, which spanned 13,100 acres Tuesday as it neared full containment.
Vast areas have burned
So far this year, fires in California have burned over 660,000 acres, which is over 1,033 square miles — and more than twice the land area of the city of Los Angeles.
Of that total, well over 550,000 acres have been burned in the last three weeks in the three largest fires: the Mendocino Complex Fire, the Carr Fire and the Ferguson Fire. The three fires all began in July, which was one of the hottest July months on record in the state’s history.
7 lives lost in the Carr Fire alone
The Carr Fire started July 23 when a flat tire failed on a trailer and its rim scraped the asphalt, sparking the blaze. Since then, the blaze has forced the evacuation of 21,000 residents and become the 6th most destructive fire and 13th most deadly fire in state history.
Seven people have died in the fire since it started two weeks ago, including a Pacific Gas & Electric worker, a woman and her two great-grandchildren, and two firefighters.
The fire has since expanded to cover 167,000 acres and was only 47 percent contained on Tuesday. It has destroyed 1,077 homes, 22 commercial structures and 500 outbuildings, according to Cal Fire.
A total of 4,738 personnel are assigned to fight the fire, as well as 388 fire engines and 15 helicopters.
Largest fire in California history
The Mendocino Complex Fire is now at 290,692 acres and is 34 percent contained, according to Cal Fire. As of Monday night, the fire earned the dubious distinction of the largest fire ever recorded in California as it grew larger than last year’s Thomas Fire, which had burned 281,893 acres.
The Mendocino Complex Fire is made up of two separate fires, the River Fire and the Ranch Fire, in Lake and Mendocino counties.
The River Fire, located to the west of Clear Lake, is the smaller of the two at about 49,000 acres and is 78 percent contained. The Ranch Fire, north of Clear Lake, is about five times larger and is just 20 percent contained.
A total of 3,908 personnel are assigned to fighting the fire. Those personnel are operating 441 engines and 15 helicopters. One firefighter has been injured in the Mendocino Complex Fire and 13,000 residents are under evacuation orders, Cal Fire said.
Ferguson Fire affecting Yosemite nears 100,000 acres
The Ferguson Fire, located in the Sierra National Forest, grew to over 94,000 acres with 43 percent containment on Tuesday, Cal Fire said, making it the largest fire in the forest’s history. There were 2,357 personnel fighting the fire, employing 202 fire engines and 14 helicopters.
Two people have died and 11 have been injured since the fire began on July 13, and 10 structures have been destroyed, Cal Fire said. The fire has since spread into Yosemite National Park, too.
KTLA’s Erika Martin contributed to this report.
