Name: Wildfire in California, September 2 to 13, 2025
Start: 2025-09-02T09:00
End: 2025-09-13T07:00
Location: California

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 1
Property damage: $50 million
Crop damage: $10,000
Events: 2

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.

The TCU September Lightning Complex began as a series of lightning fire starts on the morning of September 2nd across 4 counties, Calaveras, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tuolumne. The largest fires are the 6-5 fire and the 2-7 fire, with total acreage burned at 13,966 Acres. There has been 1 firefighter injury reported, with 85 structures destroyed and 6 damaged, including structures in the historic Gold Rush town of China Camp. Numerous roads were closed including both sides of Highway 120 from Chinese Camp to Highway 120 Bridge, all Roads east of Highway 108 from J-59 to Highway 120, as well as portions of Highway 49 and Highway 108 in the area. The fire was declared 100 percent contained on September 13th.

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 Sep 1, 11:52 AM PST, 21 hours 8 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

* Heat Advisory now in effect until 11 pm tonight for the southern Sacramento Valley, northern San Joaquin Valley, and adjacent foothills locations. * Today:
Above normal temperatures expected with widespread Moderate HeatRisk and areas of Major HeatRisk in the Valley/foothills.
Probability of Valley/foothills High Temperatures > 100F today: 60-95%
Dry weather persists today with daytime humidity into the teens to low 20s. Some single digit RH values possible in the Valley. * Tuesday - Wednesday:
Weather system tracks northward along the California coast into the middle of the week, bringing a gradual cool down and the return of periodically breezy onshore winds.
Slight (10-30%) chance of afternoon/evening isolated thunderstorms as the system moves through. Highest chances on Tuesday.
Low (5-10%), but nonzero, chance of overnight thunderstorms Tuesday night into Wednesday AM.
Lingering uncertainty in the location of potential thunderstorm development, although highest chances remain across the mountains. * End of the Week:

Area forecast discussion, Sep 1, 11:52 AM PST, 21 hours 8 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Sacramento CA
1252 PM PDT Mon Sep 1 2025

For additional details on weather and expected impacts over the
next 7 days, please visit weather.gov/sto/briefing.

.DISCUSSION...

.SYNOPSIS...
Above normal temperatures and Moderate HeatRisk with areas of
Major HeatRisk continue today. A progressive weather system will
bring increasing thunderstorm chances to the region Tuesday and
Wednesday as temperatures then trend more seasonable from midweek
onward.

&&

.KEY MESSAGES...

* Heat Advisory now in effect until 11 pm tonight for the
  southern Sacramento Valley, northern San Joaquin Valley, and
  adjacent foothills locations.

* Today:
 - Above normal temperatures expected with widespread Moderate
   HeatRisk and areas of Major HeatRisk in the Valley/foothills.
 - Probability of Valley/foothills High Temperatures > 100F today:
   60-95%
 - Dry weather persists today with daytime humidity into the
   teens to low 20s. Some single digit RH values possible in the
   Valley.

* Tuesday - Wednesday:
 - Weather system tracks northward along the California coast into
   the middle of the week, bringing a gradual cool down and the
   return of periodically breezy onshore winds.
 - Slight (10-30%) chance of afternoon/evening isolated
   thunderstorms as the system moves through. Highest chances on
   Tuesday.
 - Low (5-10%), but nonzero, chance of overnight thunderstorms
   Tuesday night into Wednesday AM.
 - Lingering uncertainty in the location of potential thunderstorm
   development, although highest chances remain across the
   mountains.

* End of the Week:
 - Broad troughing aloft expected to remain in place with slight
   variations in location and orientation.
 - Seasonable to slightly below normal temperatures forecast across
   interior NorCal by next weekend as breezy onshore flow
   persists.

.Changes from previous forecast...
- Slight increase in thunderstorm potential for Tuesday afternoon
  and evening

&&

.AVIATION...
VFR conditions are expected over the next 24 hours. Winds will be
generally 10kt or less, except for the northern Sacramento
Valley, with winds up to 12 kt and gusts to 15-20 kt until 03Z
Tue. Areas of scattered cumulus clouds after 09z Tue through 18z
mainly over the Sierra and adjacent foothills with a chance of
isolated showers and virga.

&&

.STO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Heat Advisory until 11 PM PDT this evening for Motherlode-
Northern San Joaquin Valley-Southern Sacramento Valley.

&&

Event by event

2 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Northern San Joaquin Valley

When: September 2, 9:00 AM PST to September 13, 7:00 AM PST
Where: Northern San Joaquin Valley forecast zone
Property damage: $25 million
Crop damage: $5,000
Reported by: Fire Department/Rescue

The TCU September Lightning Complex began as a series of lightning fire starts on the morning of September 2nd across 4 counties, Calaveras, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tuolumne. The largest fires are the 6-5 fire and the 2-7 fire, with total acreage burned at 13,966 Acres. There has been 1 firefighter injury reported, with 85 structures destroyed and 6 damaged, including structures in the historic Gold Rush town of China Camp. Numerous roads were closed including both sides of Highway 120 from Chinese Camp to Highway 120 Bridge, all Roads east of Highway 108 from J-59 to Highway 120, as well as portions of Highway 49 and Highway 108 in the area. The fire was declared 100 percent contained on September 13.

Wildfire, Motherlode/Camptonville to Groveland

When: September 2, 9:00 AM PST to September 13, 7:00 AM PST
Where: Motherlode/Camptonville to Groveland forecast zone
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25 million
Crop damage: $5,000
Reported by: Fire Department/Rescue

The TCU September Lightning Complex began as a series of lightning fire starts on the morning of September 2nd across 4 counties, Calaveras, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tuolumne. The largest fires are the 6-5 fire and the 2-7 fire, with total acreage burned at 13,966 Acres. There has been 1 firefighter injury reported, with 85 structures destroyed and 6 damaged, including structures in the historic Gold Rush town of China Camp. Numerous roads were closed including both sides of Highway 120 from Chinese Camp to Highway 120 Bridge, all Roads east of Highway 108 from J-59 to Highway 120, as well as portions of Highway 49 and Highway 108 in the area. The fire was declared 100 percent contained on September 13.

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 2025 Every state in 2025 This day in weather history Warnings in California, September 2025

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: 1282610, 1282611.