Where does Palisades Fire rank among worst in California history?
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(KRON) — Multiple wildfires erupted this week in Southern California, ravaging parts of Los Angeles County. The most destructive of the bunch, the Palisades Fire, had burned an estimated 1,000 structures as of Wednesday afternoon.

While that number is just an estimate, it would put the fire among the 20 most destructive in California history, according to Cal Fire. And the Palisades fire can still do more damage — it was not contained as of Wednesday.

Here’s Cal Fire’s list of the most destructive wildfires in state history:

Fire Name Date County Structures Burned
Camp Nov. 2018 Butte 18,804
Tubbs Oct. 2017 Napa, Sonoma 5,636
Tunnel (Oakland Hills) Oct. 1991 Alameda 2,900
Cedar Oct. 2003 San Diego 2,820
North Complex Aug. 2020 Butte, Plumas, Yuba 2,352
Valley Sept. 2015 Lake, Napa, Sonoma 1,955
Witch Oct. 2007 San Diego 1,650
Woolsey Nov. 2018 Ventura 1,643
Carr July 2018 Shasta, Trinity 1,614
Glass Sept. 2020 Napa, Sonoma 1,520
LNU Lightning Complex Aug. 2020 Napa, Solano, Sonoma,
Yolo, Lake Colusa
1,491
CZU Lightning Complex Aug. 2020 Santa Cruz, San Mateo 1,490
Nuns Oct. 2017 Sonoma 1,355
Dixie July 2021 Butte, Plumas, Lassen,
Tehama
1,311
Thomas Dec. 2017 Ventura, Santa Barbara 1,063
Caldor Sep. 2021 Alpine, Amador, El Dorado 1,003
Old Oct. 2003 San Bernardino 1,003
Palisades Jan. 2025 Los Angeles 1,000 (estimated)
Jones Oct. 1999 Shasta 954
August Complex Aug. 2020 Mendocino, Humboldt, Trinity,
Tehama, Glenn, Lake, Colusa
935
Butte Sept. 2015 Amador, Calaveras 921

Cal Fire defines structures as homes, outbuildings and commercial properties. The Palisades Fire has destroyed homes, businesses, schools, historical sites and more.

In terms of the largest wildfires in California history, the Palisades Fire does not rank very high. It torched 15,832 acres as of Wednesday. While that is certainly large, 17 California fires have burned more than 200,000 acres. The August Complex Fire is the only fire that grew past 1 million acres in size.

What makes the Palisades Fire so devastating is that it is in the heavily populated Pacific Palisades area. Many of California’s largest wildfires were in more rural areas.

Several other fires are burning alongside the Palisades Fire in Southern California, compounding the damage. The Eaton Fire in Pasadena has killed at least five people, and another fire in the Hollywood Hills broke out on Wednesday.

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