Fire weather
Eight years after the Camp Fire, it is still California's deadliest wildfire
By Ryan Hall, Y'all Weather Desk · Published · Updated
Written by our automated news desk from National Weather Service data.
What's new: Added a chart of the five most destructive California fires and tightened the weather wording to what the forecast said.
The Camp Fire started in Butte County, California, eight years ago today and still tops CAL FIRE's lists for deaths (85) and structures destroyed (18,804). A Red Flag Warning went out two days ahead, and an update an hour before ignition called for gusts to 45 mph and up to 60 mph on ridges. The lesson for fire country is to treat that warning as a get-ready day.
Key points
- Where: Butte County in Northern California's Sierra foothills, including the town of Paradise.
- When: The fire started at 6:33 AM PST on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, and was fully contained 17 days later, on Nov. 25.
- What: 153,336 acres burned, 18,804 structures were destroyed, 754 more were damaged, and 85 civilians died. CAL FIRE lists the cause as power lines.
- What it means: A Red Flag Warning was out ahead of time, and the update an hour before the fire called for strong wind and very dry air.
Updated 12:45 PM ET Sunday: Added a chart of the five most destructive California fires and tightened the weather wording to what the forecast said.
Eight years ago this morning, the Camp Fire started in Butte County, California, and no fire in the state has topped it since. It killed 85 people and destroyed 18,804 structures, and it still ranks number one on both of CAL FIRE's all-time lists, for deaths and for destruction. The wind setup was in the forecast two days before the first flames.
How the Camp Fire compares
No other California fire is close on either list. The next deadliest is the 1933 Griffith Park fire, with 29 deaths. On structures destroyed, the Camp Fire has nearly twice as many as the runner-up, the January 2025 Eaton Fire, at 9,413.
Behind those two on CAL FIRE's most destructive list are the Palisades Fire at 6,833, the Tubbs Fire at 5,636 and the Tunnel Fire at 2,900. The chart with this story lays the five side by side.
The weather at the start: strong wind and very dry air
A Red Flag Warning for the Northern Sierra foothills, including the Butte County area, went out at 10:16 AM PST on Tuesday, Nov. 6. It ran from late Wednesday evening through Friday morning, so it was issued about two days before the first flames.
An update came out at 5:33 AM PST on Nov. 8, about an hour before the fire started. It called for north to east wind of 15 to 25 mph, with local gusts to 45 mph and up to 60 mph on exposed ridges. Afternoon humidity was expected to drop as low as 10 to 15 percent.
The Red Flag Warning highlighted the strong wind and very low humidity ahead of time.
Same day, Southern California
The Camp Fire was not the only big fire that day. The Woolsey Fire started at 2:24 PM PST in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. It burned 96,949 acres, destroyed 1,643 structures and killed 3 civilians. Two fires started within hours of each other in different parts of the state.
What to do
A little planning ahead goes a long way.
- Treat a Red Flag Warning as a get-ready day. Fill the gas tank, pack medications, papers and a phone charger, and know your evacuation routes before you need them.
- Know two ways out of your neighborhood.
- Leave early when told to go. Don't wait to see flames or smoke from your own street.
- Sign up for local emergency alerts from your county, and get our free Y'all Alerts too.
- Check active warnings on windy, dry days if you live or travel in fire country.
Bottom line
The Camp Fire remains California's deadliest and most destructive wildfire eight years on, and a warning calling for strong wind and very low humidity was already out when it started. When a Red Flag Warning is up, use that lead time to get ready.
| Value | Note | |
|---|---|---|
| Camp Fire | 18,804 structures destroyed | Butte County, Nov. 8, 2018 |
| Eaton Fire | 9,413 structures destroyed | January 2025 |
| Palisades Fire | 6,833 structures destroyed | |
| Tubbs Fire | 5,636 structures destroyed | |
| Tunnel Fire | 2,900 structures destroyed |
More on Wildfire 2026
Sources
- CAL FIRE incident page, Camp Fire, CAL FIRE
- CAL FIRE Top 20 Deadliest and Top 20 Most Destructive California Wildfires (dated 8/4/2026), CAL FIRE
- CAL FIRE incident page, Woolsey Fire, CAL FIRE
- NWS Sacramento Red Flag Warning RFWSTO, WWUS86 KSTO 061816, via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet NWS text archive, National Weather Service