As California emerges from its “peak” wildfire season, the state has managed to avoid its recent plague of catastrophic wildfires. So far in 2022, the fewest acres have burned since 2019.

State Emergency Services Director Mark Ghilarducci said California had “a bit of luck” with weather this summer. Although enduring yet another drought year, much of the state was spared the worst of the heat and dryness that can spark fires. And in some instances, well-timed rain came to the rescue.

Cal Fire officials also attribute some of the mild wildfire season to their emphasis on clearing away vegetation that fuels fires. Cal Fire Chief Joe Tyler said the $2.8 billion spent in the last two years on forest management made a difference, with the work “moderat(ing) fires approaching communities.”

Mindful that wildfires can spark at any time in an environment driven by climate change, California officials have their fingers crossed after Gov. Gavin Newsom pronounced “the end of peak fire season” in mid-November. While California has entered an age of year-round fire seasons, the bulk of its fires occur from April through October.

Still, Newsom knows better than to tempt fate. So while reporting that the state had a relatively moderate fire season and praising fire managers and crews, he quickly added that anything can still happen.

“We are not here with a sign, ‘Mission Accomplished,’ in any way, shape or form,” Newsom said. “We will continue to maintain our vigilance.”

Here’s a look at some of the stories behind the numbers.

362,455

 
That’s how many acres burned across the state so far this year. Almost a quarter of those tore through remote El Dorado and Placer counties during the Mosquito Fire in September and October.

For perspective, last year’s acreage was about seven times larger — 2.5 million. And those years paled in comparison to record-breaking 2020, when more than 4.3 million acres were ablaze in California.

The state still threw everything at the wildfires it faced this year, hiring 1,350 additional personnel, deploying a new fleet of bespoke firefighting helicopters, and putting satellites, drones and artificial intelligence to work to attack each blaze.

772

Statistics about dramatically fewer structures destroyed by wildfires offer cold comfort when it’s your home that burned down. Still, there was much less damage done compared to recent years: Seven hundred seventy-two California structures were destroyed by fire this year, while 104 were damaged.

The McKinney Fire in July leveled 185 structures, and the Oak Fire in Mariposa County destroyed 182, also in July.

Last year, a challenging fire season, was much worse, with 3,560 buildings destroyed — almost five times more than this year — and 286 damaged. And during the 2020 season, the benchmark for worst in nearly every statistical category, 11,116 buildings were lost.

The 2018 Camp Fire in the Butte County town of Paradise remains the most destructive fire in California history, wiping out nearly 19,000 structures — an entire community.

9

The ultimate cost was great, even in a quiet fire year: In 2022, fires claimed the lives of nine Californians.

Four people died in August in the McKinney Fire in rural Siskiyou County, a sprawling blaze that also injured 12 firefighters. Two people were found dead in a car in their driveway. Another victim was a woman in her 70s who worked as a fire lookout for nearly five decades; she was killed in her home.

For comparison, three people died during the 2021 fire season, 33 in 2020 and three in 2019. The Camp Fire of 2018, which killed 85 people, retains the awful distinction as the state’s deadliest fire.

256

It’s a small victory, but fire officials will take it: Some 7,490 fires were sparked in California in 2022, which is 256 fewer than the five-year average of 7,746. In the fire world, even modest gains (about 3% below average) are welcome.

In other words, to quote the governor, “We are not out of the woods yet.”