Wildfire in California, August 6 to 10, 2002

Name: Wildfire in California, August 6 to 10, 2002
Start: 2002-08-06T08:00
End: 2002-08-10T08:00
Location: California

August 6 to 10, 2002 · NWS SGX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A plane crash at the 10,300 foot elevation level in the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area burned two acres in dead downed logs. Smoke Jumpers had to parachute in, to contain the fire.

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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Heat and drought
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Fire, smoke and dust
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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
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 plane crash at the 10,300 foot elevation level in the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area burned two acres in dead downed logs. Smoke Jumpers had to parachute in, to contain 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 Aug 6, 7:35 AM PST, 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 6, 7:35 AM PST, 25 minutes before

EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
835 AM PDT TUE AUG 6 2002

.SYNOPSIS...A LOW PRESSURE TROUGH ALONG THE WEST COAST WILL LIFT
NORTHEAST WEDNESDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD ACROSS SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA THURSDAY AND BRING WARMER WEATHER THROUGH THE WEEKEND.

.DISCUSSION...MARINE LAYER WAS 200 FEET SHALLOWER THIS MORNING AND
THE INLAND EXTENT OF MARINE LAYER CLOUDS WAS LESS THAN MONDAY.
NEVERTHELESS THERE WERE STILL POCKETS OF MIST AND DRIZZLE IN THE
COASTAL SECTIONS THIS MORNING.

DRY SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH WEDNESDAY UNDER THE
INFLUENCE OF THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH ALONG THE WEST COAST. AFTERNOONS
AND EVENINGS WILL REMAIN BREEZY IN THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS WHICH
WONT HELP FIRE FIGHTING EFFORTS. WINDS WILL TURN LIGHTER LATER THIS
WEEK AS THE UPPER RIDGE BUILDS WESTWARD. HOWEVER...THE BUILDING
RIDGE WILL BRING HOTTER WEATHER TO THE INLAND...MTN AND DESERTS
AREAS...AND THE POSITION OF UPPER RIDGE IS NOT FAVORABLE FOR
TRANSPORT OF MONSOON MOISTURE INTO SOCAL.

SAN...NONE.

MOEDE

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: August 6, 8:00 AM PST to August 10, 8:00 AM PST
Where: San Bernardino County, 3 mi N of Forest Falls
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

Every storm in California in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in California, August 2002

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5309893.