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Fawn Fire
The Fawn Fire was a destructive wildfire in Northern California's Shasta County, near Redding, in late September and early October 2021. The fire, which was caused by an alleged act of arson, ignited on September 22 in mountains to the northeast of Redding. High winds the following day drove the fire south and west into neighborhoods in the wildland–urban interface, where it destroyed 185 buildings and damaged 26 more. At least three firefighters were injured. The Fawn Fire cost more than $25 million to suppress and burned 8,578 acres (3,471 hectares) before being fully contained on October 2. A woman was arrested the day of the Fawn Fire's ignition and charged with starting the fire. As of 2024[update], legal proceedings remained ongoing.
Northern California experienced many large and destructive wildfires in the summer of 2021, all of them exacerbated by drought and prolonged heat waves such as the 2021 Western North America heat wave. Multiple fires burned in or near Shasta County, including the Salt Fire and the Dixie Fire. The immediate area had no significant or recent fire history. The 1999 Jones Fire and the 2004 Bear Fire burned a combined 37,000 acres (14,973 ha) and hundreds of structures in the Jones Valley region just to the east of the Fawn Fire's footprint. Other destructive wildfires in the WUI in and near Redding area in recent years include the 1999 Jones Fire, the 2013 Clover Fire, and the 2018 Carr Fire.
The fire began at approximately 4:45 p.m. PDT in the steep, forested drainage of the West Fork Stillwater Creek in the Shasta National Forest, west of Blue Ridge and south of Allie Cove Campground near Shasta Lake. The area, more generally located in the mountains between Redding's sparse northern fringes and Shasta Lake, was accessible only using nearby quarry roads. The fire's dispatched location was near the intersection of Fawndale Road (which gave the incident its name) and Radcliff Road, immediately to the east of Interstate 5 and between the community of Mountain Gate to the south and Shasta Lake to the north. At approximately 5:00 p.m., Cal Fire reported that the fire was 20 acres (8 ha) and exhibiting a rapid rate of spread, burning in timber. By 6:30 p.m. the fire was 50 acres (20 ha) and zero percent contained. Later that night, gusty north winds caused the fire to spot and spread rapidly.
By 7:00 a.m. on the morning of September 23, the fire was reported as 150 acres (61 ha) and five percent contained. Winds continued to increase throughout the morning and afternoon. At the same time, the Shasta County Sheriff's Office issued the first evacuation warning for the fire, for the area north of Bear Mountain Road, from Kitty Hawk Lane to Moss Drive. An evacuation order was issued by 9:00 a.m. for all roads off of Bear Mountain Road between Dry Creek and Old Oregon Trail. By 9:20 a.m., the fire was reported as 800 acres (324 ha), and by 12:30 p.m., it was reported as 1,200 acres (486 ha) and five percent contained.
The Fawn Fire's growth was fueled by a combination of high winds with gusts over 20 miles per hour, temperatures as high as 97 degrees, and relative humidity levels down to ten percent. The wind-driven fire exhibited "extreme" and "explosive" behavior as it moved primarily south and west out of the mountains towards Redding and into brush, oak woodlands, and neighborhoods, threatening more than 2,000 structures.
At least 555 firefighting personnel were engaged on the fire using bulldozers to create firebreaks, water tenders to defend structures and attack spot fires, and over a dozen air tankers and helicopters dropping fire retardant and water in an effort to reduce the intensity and rate of spread of the fire. During the height of the air attack effort on September 23, aircraft dropped 53,000 gallons of fire retardant in a 90-minute period. Evacuation warnings and orders continued to expand, eventually covering all areas east of Interstate 5 and north of State Route 299 (including Shasta College, which had briefly been an evacuation center). Winds and fire behavior moderated in the afternoon and evening. By 7:00 p.m., the fire was reported as 5,500 acres (2,226 ha) and five percent contained.
On the morning of September 24 the fire was reported as 5,850 acres (2,367 ha) and ten percent contained, with 9,000 structures threatened and 950 personnel involved in the firefight. The Fawn Fire was rated by the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) as the No. 1 priority wildfire incident in the nation, due to the immediate threat to life and property, as well as reduced resource needs for fires elsewhere in the country. That day, the fire grew by another thousand acres, primarily to the east and west along its flanks. On the morning of September 25 the fire was assessed at 7,544 acres (3,053 ha), remaining ten percent contained. On the morning of September 26, the fire was assessed at 8,537 acres (3,455 ha), with 35 percent containment. At this point, during the peak of the fire suppression effort, over 2,000 personnel were assigned to the incident. The fire exhibited minimal growth after this point, and fire crews continued to strengthen containment lines in advance of a red flag warning issued for September 28. Containment slowly increased until the Fawn Fire was declared 100 percent contained at 6:53 pm. PDT on October 2, 10 days after it began.
The Fawn Fire ultimately destroyed 185 structures, including homes, commercial buildings, and outbuildings; a complete breakdown of how many of each were destroyed was not made available, but at least 41 residential buildings burned. A further 26 structures were damaged.
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Fawn Fire
The Fawn Fire was a destructive wildfire in Northern California's Shasta County, near Redding, in late September and early October 2021. The fire, which was caused by an alleged act of arson, ignited on September 22 in mountains to the northeast of Redding. High winds the following day drove the fire south and west into neighborhoods in the wildland–urban interface, where it destroyed 185 buildings and damaged 26 more. At least three firefighters were injured. The Fawn Fire cost more than $25 million to suppress and burned 8,578 acres (3,471 hectares) before being fully contained on October 2. A woman was arrested the day of the Fawn Fire's ignition and charged with starting the fire. As of 2024[update], legal proceedings remained ongoing.
Northern California experienced many large and destructive wildfires in the summer of 2021, all of them exacerbated by drought and prolonged heat waves such as the 2021 Western North America heat wave. Multiple fires burned in or near Shasta County, including the Salt Fire and the Dixie Fire. The immediate area had no significant or recent fire history. The 1999 Jones Fire and the 2004 Bear Fire burned a combined 37,000 acres (14,973 ha) and hundreds of structures in the Jones Valley region just to the east of the Fawn Fire's footprint. Other destructive wildfires in the WUI in and near Redding area in recent years include the 1999 Jones Fire, the 2013 Clover Fire, and the 2018 Carr Fire.
The fire began at approximately 4:45 p.m. PDT in the steep, forested drainage of the West Fork Stillwater Creek in the Shasta National Forest, west of Blue Ridge and south of Allie Cove Campground near Shasta Lake. The area, more generally located in the mountains between Redding's sparse northern fringes and Shasta Lake, was accessible only using nearby quarry roads. The fire's dispatched location was near the intersection of Fawndale Road (which gave the incident its name) and Radcliff Road, immediately to the east of Interstate 5 and between the community of Mountain Gate to the south and Shasta Lake to the north. At approximately 5:00 p.m., Cal Fire reported that the fire was 20 acres (8 ha) and exhibiting a rapid rate of spread, burning in timber. By 6:30 p.m. the fire was 50 acres (20 ha) and zero percent contained. Later that night, gusty north winds caused the fire to spot and spread rapidly.
By 7:00 a.m. on the morning of September 23, the fire was reported as 150 acres (61 ha) and five percent contained. Winds continued to increase throughout the morning and afternoon. At the same time, the Shasta County Sheriff's Office issued the first evacuation warning for the fire, for the area north of Bear Mountain Road, from Kitty Hawk Lane to Moss Drive. An evacuation order was issued by 9:00 a.m. for all roads off of Bear Mountain Road between Dry Creek and Old Oregon Trail. By 9:20 a.m., the fire was reported as 800 acres (324 ha), and by 12:30 p.m., it was reported as 1,200 acres (486 ha) and five percent contained.
The Fawn Fire's growth was fueled by a combination of high winds with gusts over 20 miles per hour, temperatures as high as 97 degrees, and relative humidity levels down to ten percent. The wind-driven fire exhibited "extreme" and "explosive" behavior as it moved primarily south and west out of the mountains towards Redding and into brush, oak woodlands, and neighborhoods, threatening more than 2,000 structures.
At least 555 firefighting personnel were engaged on the fire using bulldozers to create firebreaks, water tenders to defend structures and attack spot fires, and over a dozen air tankers and helicopters dropping fire retardant and water in an effort to reduce the intensity and rate of spread of the fire. During the height of the air attack effort on September 23, aircraft dropped 53,000 gallons of fire retardant in a 90-minute period. Evacuation warnings and orders continued to expand, eventually covering all areas east of Interstate 5 and north of State Route 299 (including Shasta College, which had briefly been an evacuation center). Winds and fire behavior moderated in the afternoon and evening. By 7:00 p.m., the fire was reported as 5,500 acres (2,226 ha) and five percent contained.
On the morning of September 24 the fire was reported as 5,850 acres (2,367 ha) and ten percent contained, with 9,000 structures threatened and 950 personnel involved in the firefight. The Fawn Fire was rated by the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) as the No. 1 priority wildfire incident in the nation, due to the immediate threat to life and property, as well as reduced resource needs for fires elsewhere in the country. That day, the fire grew by another thousand acres, primarily to the east and west along its flanks. On the morning of September 25 the fire was assessed at 7,544 acres (3,053 ha), remaining ten percent contained. On the morning of September 26, the fire was assessed at 8,537 acres (3,455 ha), with 35 percent containment. At this point, during the peak of the fire suppression effort, over 2,000 personnel were assigned to the incident. The fire exhibited minimal growth after this point, and fire crews continued to strengthen containment lines in advance of a red flag warning issued for September 28. Containment slowly increased until the Fawn Fire was declared 100 percent contained at 6:53 pm. PDT on October 2, 10 days after it began.
The Fawn Fire ultimately destroyed 185 structures, including homes, commercial buildings, and outbuildings; a complete breakdown of how many of each were destroyed was not made available, but at least 41 residential buildings burned. A further 26 structures were damaged.