The wildfires currently rampaging through Los Angeles County seem poised to make California history – a grim feat in a state that has seen no shortage of serious blazes over the years.
Like with so many things in life, the old axiom “location, location, location” is relevant here: While the fires don’t seem poised to approach any records for raw size, their location in highly urbanized portions of Los Angeles County means they are already widely expected to be among the most destructive – and, possibly, the most deadly – in state history.
Jan 8, 2025; Pacific Palisades, CA, USA; A Chase bank on Sunset Blvd. in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood burns after a wildfire broke out in Los Angeles County on Jan. 7. The fires destroyed more than 1,000 homes, businesses and other structures, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a briefing Wednesday. Mandatory Credit: Sandy Hooper-USA TODAY
And with firefighters struggling to establish containment and windy conditions expected to persist, the known damage will only increase in the coming days.
Here is a look at how the ongoing fires could stack up among the worst fires in California history, according to Cal Fire data.
The five largest wildfires in California history
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August Complex fire (2020) in far northwest California: 1,032,648 acres
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Dixie fire (2021) in northern California: 963,309 acres
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Mendocino Complex fire (2018) in northern California: 459,123 acres
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Park fire (2024) in northern California: 429,603 acres
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SCU Lightning Complex fire (2020): 396,125 acres
A home burns on Highway 89 south of Greenville, California, near Forgay Road during the Dixie fire on Aug. 5, 2021. (Nathaniel Levine/Sacramento Bee/TNS)
How the current Los Angeles fires compare: The biggest of the current fires (the Palisades Fire) is only a tiny fraction of the size of the biggest blazes in state history. Even if the five fires currently burning around Los Angeles County were combined, their estimated 28,896 acres would be just a fraction of the acreage of the 20th largest fire in state history, the 2008 Klamath Theater Complex fire in Siskiyou County.
The five most destructive wildfires in California history
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Camp fire (2018) in Butte County: 18,804 structures destroyed
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Tubbs fire (2017) in Napa and Sonoma counties: 5,636 structures destroyed
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Tunnel fire (1991) near Oatkland: 2,900 structures destroyed
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Cedar fire (2003) in San Diego: 2,820 structures destroyed
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North Complex fire (2020) in northeast California: 2,352 structures destroyed
How the current Los Angeles fires compare: With the fires still actively burning and many areas evacuated, it is, of course, too early to know how many structures both have already been destroyed and ultimately will be. However, Cal Fire reported Thursday that more than 1,000 structures are estimated to have been destroyed in the Palisades fire burning in Pacific Palisades near the coast, while around 1,000 more are believed to have been wrecked in the Eaton fire near Pasadena. Damage assessments are also ongoing for the other fires burning in Los Angeles County.
But even just the current estimates make both the Palisades and Eaton fires among the most destructive in state history, while their combined estimated total would put them just short of the top five.
The five deadliest wildflowers in California history
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Griffith Park fire (1933) in Los Angeles: 29 deaths
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North Complex fire: 15 deaths
How the current Los Angeles fires compare: While authorities have confirmed 10 fire-related deaths so far, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Thursday that it was too early to provide a true death total and that he expected that more people have died in the fires than has been reported so far. The 10 fatalities that have been confirmed so far would place the current fires just outside the top most deadly fires in state history, with the fires sadly likely to go up the list as more deaths are discovered and confirmed.
Paul Albani-Burgio covers growth, development and business in the Coachella Valley. Follow him on Twitter at @albaniburgiop and email him at paul.albani-burgio@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: What were the biggest, most destructive fires in California history?