California, 2001

Wildfire in California, June 14 to 20, 2001

June 14 to 20, 2001 · NWS SGX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A control burn turned into a wild fire when an ember was blown into dry grass, burning 700 acres outside the original fireline. Dubbed the Hemlock Fire, a total of 1074 acres were consumed, three structures damaged, one vehicle destroyed, 6 fire fighters injured, and 60 people evacuated.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
6
Property damage
$150,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS SGX wrote it up.

A control burn turned into a wild fire when an ember was blown into dry grass, burning 700 acres outside the original fireline. Dubbed the Hemlock Fire, a total of 1074 acres were consumed, three structures damaged, one vehicle destroyed, 6 fire fighters injured, and 60 people evacuated. Temperatures in the 90s and winds gusting between 15 to 25 mph were blamed for the rapid spread of the fire.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS San Diego, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 14, 8:30 AM PST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 14, 8:30 AM PST, 3 hours 30 minutes before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, San Bernardino

When
June 14, 12:00 PM PST to June 20, 5:00 AM PST
Where
San Bernardino County, 5 mi S of Running Spgs
Injuries
6 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$150,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
34.841, -116.178 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Wildfire
A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in California, June 2001

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5252034.