Name: Wildfire in California, July 25 to 31, 2014
Start: 2014-07-25T15:34
End: 2014-07-31T23:59
Location: California

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 2
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 STO wrote it up.

Building high pressure resulted in hot, above normal temperatures and generally light, dry northerly winds. Weather conditions combined with very dry fuels allowed Sand Fire incident to grow into 4,240 acres in Amador and El Dorado Counties.

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 Sacramento, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 25, 2:14 PM PST, 1 hour 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 25, 2:14 PM PST, 1 hour 20 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
314 PM PDT Fri Jul 25 2014

.Synopsis...
Above normal temperatures this weekend into next week. The Sierra
crest will see a threat of thunderstorms Sunday through much of
next week and possibly as far north as the Shasta County mountains
on Wednesday.

&&

.Short Term Discussion...
Warm high pressure building over the western US is causing
heights to rise over California...resulting in temperatures
to be 5 to 9 degrees warmer today than this time yesterday and
squashing out the marine layer and delta breeze. This high
pressure will persist through the weekend and into next week which
will continue to keep temperatures several degrees above normal.
On Sunday, a weak trough will approach northern California which
will increase southerly flow aloft and support monsoonal moisture
to start spreading northward along the west side of the high. The
moisture combined with some instability over the mountains may
generate isolated Sierra crest thunderstorms Sunday
afternoon/evening. By Monday, the moisture will continue to spread
over the Sierra as another disturbance passes over the area,
supporting another threat of afternoon/evening isolated
thunderstorms along the Sierra. Shen

.Extended Discussion (Tuesday through Friday)

Little change expected through the extended period as upper ridge
axis remains east of Interior NorCal and upper troughing persists
over the eastern Pacific. Some monsoonal moisture progged mainly
along the Sierra Crest Tuesday with enough southwest component to
the mid level flow to suggest any afternoon thunderstorm
development will be mainly east of our Sierra Nevada zone. Models
show mid level flow becoming more southerly Wednesday as a small
scale upper trough clips the northwest portions of California.
Afternoon thunderstorm potential may expand northward along our
Sierra zone through the Western Plumas mountains into the Shasta
range on Wednesday. Progs then show more southwesterly flow
Thursday into Friday to keep any thunderstorm development mainly
north and east of the CWA. Fair skies forecast for the remainder
of Interior NorCal with above normal temperatures. Highs in the
Central Valley expected from the mid 90s to around 104, hottest in
the Northern Sacramento Valley, with mainly 80s to 90s for the
mountains and foothills.

&&

.Aviation...

SWly flow alf as upr trof ovr NorCal is replaced with upr rdg fm
Desert SW. VFR conds with genly lgt sfc wnds ovr Intr NorCal nxt
24 hrs.

&&

.STO Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
None.
&&

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Motherlode/Camptonville to Groveland

When: July 25, 3:34 PM PST to July 31, 11:59 PM PST
Where: Motherlode/Camptonville to Groveland forecast zone
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: Fire Department/Rescue

The Sand Fire began east of Highway 49, 5 miles north of Plymouth (south of Placerville) on the afternoon of July 25th. The fire was caused by a vehicle driving into dry vegetation, and was considered a CalFire incident. The fire burned in both Amador and El Dorado Counties, reaching 4,240 acres by the time it was 100% contained on August 2nd. It burned 20 residences, and 47 outbuildings, and there were 2 injuries reported with the fire.

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 2014 Every state in 2014 This day in weather history Warnings in California, July 2014

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: 532942.