During 2003, 9,116 wildfires[2] burned 1,020,460 acres (4,129.7km2) across the US state of California.[3][4] In October, a major wildfire outbreak in Southern California burned more than 750,000 acres, destroyed thousands of homes, and killed two dozen people.[8] Many of the victims were killed in their cars while trying to flee.[9][10]
The timing of "fire season" in California is variable, depending on the amount of prior winter and spring precipitation, the frequency and severity of weather such as heat waves and wind events, and moisture content in vegetation. Northern California typically sees wildfire activity between late spring and early fall, peaking in the summer with hotter and drier conditions. Occasional cold frontal passages can bring wind and lightning. The timing of fire season in Southern California is similar, peaking between late spring and fall. The severity and duration of peak activity in either part of the state is modulated in part by weather events: downslope/offshore wind events can lead to critical fire weather, while onshore flow and Pacific weather systems can bring conditions that hamper wildfire growth.[11][12]
List of wildfires
Below is a list of fires that exceeded 1,000 acres (4.0km2) during the 2003 fire season.[3] The list is taken from CAL FIRE's list of large fires.
↑Containment means that fire crews have established and secured control lines around the fire's perimeter. These lines are artificial barriers, like trenches or cleared vegetation, designed to stop the fire's spread, or natural barriers like rivers. Containment reflects progress in managing the fire but does not necessarily mean the fire is starved of fuel, under control, or put out.[13]
↑Mutch, R.W. "FACES: The Story of the Victims of Southern California‘s 2003 Fire Siege", by Robert W. Mutch; Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center; July 2007.
