| Cedar Fire | |
|---|---|
 A dozen simultaneous wildfires in October 2003; the Cedar Fire is the group of large red dots right of center. | |
| Date(s) |
|
| Location | San Diego County, California |
| Coordinates | 33°01′00″N 116°41′00″W / 33.016667°N 116.683333°W |
| Statistics | |
| Burned area | 273,246 acres (1,106 km2) |
| Impacts | |
| Deaths |
|
| Non-fatal injuries | 113 |
| Structures destroyed |
|
| Damage | At least $1.331 billion (2003 USD)[1][2] |
| Ignition | |
| Cause | Signal fire |
| Map | |
 Perimeter of Cedar Fire | |
  Location of Cedar Fire in Southern California  Cedar Fire (southern California) | |
The Cedar Fire was a massive, highly-destructive wildfire, which burned 273,246 acres (1,106 km2) of land in San Diego County, California, during October and November 2003.[2][3] The fire's rapid growth was driven by the Santa Ana wind, causing the fire to spread at a rate of 3,600 acres (15 km2) per hour.[2] By the time the fire was fully contained on November 4, it had destroyed 2,820 buildings (including 2,232 homes) and killed 15 people, including one firefighter.[2] Hotspots continued to burn within the Cedar Fire's perimeter until December 5, 2003, when the fire was fully brought under control.[2]
The fire remains one of the largest wildfires in California history and, as of January 2022,[4] the ninth-largest wildfire in the state's modern history. According to CALFIRE, it is also the sixth-deadliest and fourth-most destructive wildfire in state history, causing just over $1.3 billion in damages.[5][6][1] In November 2018, the Camp Fire (2018) surpassed the Tubbs Fire (which had previously surpassed the 1991 Oakland Firestorm and the Cedar Fire) to become the single most destructive wildfire in California history, in terms of the number of buildings destroyed.[6] In December 2017, the Thomas Fire surpassed the Cedar Fire to become California's largest modern wildfire on record, before the Mendocino Complex Fire's Ranch Fire surpassed both fires to become the state's largest wildfire in August 2018.[7]
- ^ a b Dr. Tomas Girnius; Tyler Hauteniemi; Scott Stransky (August 2008). "California Wildfire: How Large Can The Losses Be?" (PDF). AIRCurrents. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 12, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "Cedar Fire Memorial". www.lakesidehistory.org. Archived from the original on 23 June 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
- ^ "Cedar Fire". CALFIRE. November 5, 2003. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ^ "Top 20 Largest California Wildfires" (PDF). CAL FIRE. January 13, 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 15, 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
- ^ "Top 20 Deadliest California Wildfires" (PDF). CAL FIRE. October 22, 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
- ^ a b "Top 20 Most Destructive California Wildfires" (PDF). CAL FIRE. January 13, 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
- ^ California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. "Top 20 CalFire" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 15, 2018. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
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