California, 2009

Wildfire in California, October 3 to 10, 2009

October 3 to 10, 2009 · NWS SGX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The Sheep Fire started along Sheep Creek Road near Lytle Creek around 1311 PST on October 3rd. The fire spread rapidly towards Wrightwood, scorching a total of 7,128 acres before being contained on October 10th.

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
8
Property damage
$750,000
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.

The Sheep Fire started along Sheep Creek Road near Lytle Creek around 1311 PST on October 3rd. The fire spread rapidly towards Wrightwood, scorching a total of 7,128 acres before being contained on October 10th. The fire forced approximately 5,000 residents to evacuate and destroyed one residence, four other structures, five cars, four RVs, and 2 pieces of heavy equipment. Eight firefighters were injured. The fire cost over eight million dollars to fight. Investigators say the fire was started by a human, but it is still unclear whether it was intentional or not.

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 Oct 3, 1:00 PM PST, 11 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 3, 1:00 PM PST, 11 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 3, 1:00 PM PST, 11 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 County Mountains

When
October 3, 1:11 PM PST to October 10, 12:30 PM PST
Where
San Bernardino County Mountains forecast zone
Injuries
8 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$750,000
Reported by
Park/Forest Service
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 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in California, October 2009

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: 200087.