Western Wildfires

Losses, 2024 dollars

$1.5 billion

Losses at the time

$1.0 billion

Deaths

10

The losses and deaths are NCEI’s, counting everything the disaster did. The episodes below are only what the Weather Service filed in its Storm Events record, which counts damage differently and often not at all, so the two never add up and are shown apart.

• Wildfire in Arizona, May 31, 20091 eventThe Point Fire was started by lightning on Milk Point Ranch about 3 miles northeast of Pine, Arizona was managed for resource benefits. The final size of the fire was 1300 acres.
• Wildfire in Arizona, June 1 to 23, 20091 eventThe Point Fire was started by lightning on Milk Point Ranch about 3 miles northeast of Pine, Arizona was managed for resource benefits. The final size of the fire was 1300 acres.
• Wildfire in Arizona, June 1 to 25, 20091 eventTwo lightning caused fires near the South Rim of the Grand Canyon were allowed to burn to meet management ecological and protection objectives. The Game Reserve fire started on May 29 about nine miles southeast of the Grand Canyon Village in the Grand Canyon National Park.
• Wildfire in Arizona, June 1 to 20, 20091 eventThe lightning caused Pioneer Fire started on May 30 near Globe Arizona and burned through ponderosa pine, manzanita, and oak brush vegetation in steep, rough terrain. The fire threatened multi-million dollar communication towers in the Pinal Mountains.
• Wildfire and Hail in California, June 1 to 30, 20091 injured · $2.0 million · 1.25 in hail · 11 eventsThunderstorms developed over western Fresno County during the evening of June 4th, and rapidly grew in intensity. One severe thunderstorm had a reflectivity of 73 dBz, and a VIL (vertically integrated liquid) of 43 g/kg.
• Debris Flow in Idaho, June 1, 20091 eventHeavy rain caused mudslides over the Castle Rock Burn area in Ketchum.
• Debris Flow and Hail in Oregon, June 4, 2009$3,000 · 1 in hail · 12 eventsAn unusually moist and unstable air mass combined with daytime heating to produce thunderstorms with damaging wind, heavy rainfall, and locally large hail.
• Debris Flow in Oregon, June 5, 20091 eventAn upper level low pressure area near the central California coast brought abundant moisture into the Pacific Northwest.
• Wildfire in California, June 7 to 30, 20091 eventThe Harden wildfire located in Yosemite NP, ignited on June 7th at 2301 PST due to lightning. The location was 13 miles north of Yosemite Valley in Mariposa County. The size was 1661 acres. Containment was on July 10th. Cost to containment was $880,000.
• Wildfire and Heavy Rain in California, June 13 to 30, 20091 death · 2 eventsUnsettled weather remained across inland Central California through much of early and mid June due to upper level low pressure and pulses of energy in the upper atmosphere. Scattered thunderstorms were common during this time period over the Southern Sierra Nevada.
• Wildfire in Nevada, June 25, 2009$10,000 · 1 eventA wildfire in Washoe Valley south of Reno was believed to have been caused by a lightning strike.
• Wildfire in California, July 1 to 31, 20091 eventThe Lion Wildfire, located in Sequoia National Forest, ignited on 6/30/09 at 1030 PDT due to lightning strikes. The location was 3 miles northwest of the Blackrock Ranger Station on the Kern Plateau in Tulare County. The size was 2023 acres.
• Wildfire in Texas, July 5, 20091 eventA 20 acre wildfire developed in drought-stressed fuels and near Red Flag weather conditions in the town of Rockport. Several homes were evacuated and few were damaged by the fire.
• Wildfire in Texas, July 5, 20091 eventA wildfire burned 100 acres in drought-stressed fuels and rare Red Flag weather conditions for July. The wildfire occurred just south of Sinton near Highway 77 and CR57. The fire destroyed one unoccupied structure.
• Wildfire in Oregon, July 6 to 12, 20091 eventThe Black Butte Fire was started by a lightning strike and burned 578 acres of timber 8 miles northwest of Sisters on the east slope of Black Butte.
• Wildfire in Texas, July 10, 20091 eventA large wildfire began around 1645 CST about nine miles northwest of Gruver and consumed about one thousand acres. No damage or injuries were reported. A total of five fire agencies responded to the wildfire.
• Wildfire in Washington, July 11 to 16, 20091 eventThe Forrest Fire 30 miles west of Yakima started July 11 and burned 200 acres through July 16.
• Wildfire in Oregon, July 13, 2009$30,000 · 1 eventA fast moving fire burned 3000-4000 acres of grass, brush, and wheat 10 miles west northwest of Pendleton. The fire was started by a downed power line and exacerbated by gusty west winds.
• Wildfire in Texas, July 20, 2009$5,000 · 1 eventPersistent high pressure in the mid and upper levels of the atmosphere continued to maintain unusually dry conditions for mid to late July through the depth of the atmosphere across all of Deep South Texas.
• Wildfire in Arizona, July 21 to 31, 20092 eventsLightning started the Wildhorse Fire about 16 miles north of Williams and the Red Fire about one mile south of Red Mountain on July 21.
• Wildfire in Texas, July 21, 20091 eventThe Aquarius Wildfire burned through 150 acres of drought-stressed fuels in Nueces County (N27 40.43 X W97 16.73). 125 homes were threatened, but none damaged.
• Wildfire in Washington, July 23 to 29, 20091 eventThe Johnson Lake Fire, located six miles north of Nespelem, was a lightning caused fire that burned 955 acres.
• Wildfire in Oregon, July 24 to 30, 20091 eventThe McGinnis Creek Fire started July 24 from unknown origin. It burned 3417 acres of grass, timber, brush, and juniper on private and BLM land 12 miles southeast of Spray, Oregon. The fire was contained on July 30.
• Wildfire in Oregon, July 25 to 31, 20091 eventThe Cougar Creek Fire in the steep terrain of the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness southeast of John Day, Oregon burned 1,063 acres of brush, juniper, grass, and Ponderosa Pine between July 25 and August 4. It started from unknown causes.
• Wildfire in California, July 26 to 31, 20091 eventThe Knight Fire started on July 26th, burning a forested area by the Middle Fork of the Stanislaus River.
• Wildfire in Oregon, July 26 to 31, 20091 eventLightning on July 26 started the Long Prong Fire in the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area 10 miles northeast of Imnaha, Oregon. The fire grew to 140 acres and ended on August 8.
• Wildfire in Oregon, July 28 to 31, 20091 eventThe Williams Creek fire in the Umpqua National Forest started on 7/28/09 around 1 PM PDT. The cause is under investigation. As of 08/01/09, the fire was at 2,384 acres and 20 percent contained. The cost of the fire to that point was 905,000 dollars.
• Debris Flow in Colorado, July 28, 20092 injured · $20,000 · 1 eventA rockslide in De Beque Canyon struck Interstate 70.
• Wildfire in Washington, July 28 to 31, 20091 eventThe Union Valley Fire, located three miles north of Chelan, was a lightning caused fire that burned 768 acres. The fire burned into the first day of August. Between 120 and 140 residences received level two and three evacuation notices.
• Dense Smoke in Alaska, July 30, 20091 eventSmoke from nearby wildfires moved into the Fairbanks area during the morning of the 30th and remained below 1 mile visibility until the early evening.
• Wildfire in Arizona, August 1 to 27, 20091 eventThe Wildhorse Complex started as two fires (Wildhorse and Red) on July 21, 2009. This natural fire was managed for resource benefits. The fire was contained on August 27th at 13,790 acres.
• Wildfire in Washington, August 1, 20091 eventThe Union Valley Fire, located three miles north of Chelan, was a lightning caused fire that burned 768 acres. The fire began on July 28th. Between 120 and 140 residences received level two and three evacuation notices.
• Wildfire in Oregon, August 1 to 16, 20091 eventThe Williams Creek fire in the Umpqua National Forest started on 7/28/09 around 1 PM PDT. The cause is under investigation. It was contained on 08/16 at 1800 PDT. The fire burned 8395 acres.
• Wildfire in California, August 1 to 11, 20091 eventThe Knight Fire burned an area of forest along the Middle Fork of the American River. The fire started on July 26th and was 100 percent contained by August 11th.
• Dense Smoke in Alaska, August 1 to 8, 20091 eventDense smoke was widespread in Fairbanks and North Pole on the morning of August 8, 2009, and the visibility was one quarter mile or less at the Fairbanks International Airport. Locally the visibility was reduced to only a couple hundred yards.
• Wildfire in Texas, August 1 to 2, 20091 eventThe Nails Fire in rural Live Oak County burned through 500 acres of drought-stressed fuels (N 28 42.654 X W 098 05.113). No structures were threatened.
• Wildfire in California, August 1 to 17, 20093 eventsThe Hat Creek Complex and SHU Lightning Complex fires were started by lightning strikes from thunderstorms on the evening of August 1st. Approximately 1800 lightning ground strikes were recorded in Northern California.
• Wildfire in Oregon, August 1 to 12, 20091 eventLightning on August 1 started several fires which grew into the North Fork Complex adjacent to the rugged North Fork John Day Wilderness southeast of Dale, Oregon. The fires burned 1,360 acres of timber, grass, and brush.
• Wildfire in California, August 2 to 31, 20091 eventThe Harrington fire in the Marble Mountain Wilderness portion of the Klamath National Forest was started by lightning on 8/02/09 around 5 PM PDT. As of 09/01/09, it was at 142 acres and was 100 percent contained. As of 09/01/09, the cost of the fire was 482,000 dollars.
• Wildfire in Alaska, August 3 to 16, 2009$250,000 · 1 eventThe Hard Luck Creek Fire was a human caused fire that started on August 3, 2009, and was located between Murphy Dome and the Chatanika River approximately 20 miles northwest of Fairbanks. The fire burned a total of 12,834 acres and destroyed one home and two cabins.
• Wildfire in Texas, August 7, 20091 eventThe Ramirez Fire in rural Duval County burned through 300 acres of drought-stressed fuels (N27 21.43 X W98 25.04). 6 homes were theatened and saved.
• Wildfire in California, August 8 to 21, 20091 eventIn the month of August, the La Brea Wildfire burned over 89,000 acres in the Los Padres National Forest in the county of Santa Barbara. The fire was fueled by very hot temperatures, low relative humidity and significant fuels.
• Wildfire in Texas, August 9, 20091 eventThe Premont Complex Fire in Jim Wells County consisted of 3 separate fires that burned 306 acres near the town of Premont. The first fire was 300 acres and located at CR404 & 406, the second 5 acres located at CR405 and U.S.
• Wildfire in Georgia, August 9, 2009$2,000 · 1 eventAn isolated wildfire was observed in the woods off Flowery Branch Road, a dirt road, about one mile from Wayside Road in the northeast part of the county. The fire grew to the size of three to five acres before firefighters arrived at the scene.
• Wildfire in Washington, August 11 to 12, 2009$4,000 · 1 eventBreezy conditions resulted in rapid fire spread from a wildfire which burned an estimated 10,000 acres eight miles east of Highway 261 near Benge. The fire burned old abandoned buildings, and an old homestead. The end time and property damage from this event are estimated.
• Wildfire in California, August 16 to 31, 20091 eventThe Elephant Fire burned an area of forest along Feather River Canyon, near Rock Creek.
• Wildfire in Washington, August 20 to 25, 20092 eventsLightning started the Dry Creek Complex Fire from 6 miles north of Sunnyside to the Columbia River. It burned 49,000 acres from August 20 to August 24. Strong winds up to 40 mph occurred during the fire. A manufactured home and cafe were destroyed.
• Wildfire in Washington, August 20 to 21, 20091 eventAbundant lightning triggered several fires in Grant County with the Grant County Board of Commissioners signing an emergency declaration to secure funding to suppress the fires.
• Wildfire in Washington, August 21 to 30, 20091 eventThe Oden Road Fire, located eight miles northwest of Malott, was a lightning caused fire which burned 10,258 acres. The fire destroyed two homes, an 1890's school house, and several barns and sheds. About 300 residences were threatened by the fire.
• Wildfire in California, August 21 to 31, 20091 eventThe Red Rock fire in the Marble Mountain Wilderness portion of the Klamath National Forest was started by humans on 8/21/09 around 7 PM PDT. As of 09/01/09, it was at 1382 acres and was 85 percent contained.
• Wildfire in California, August 26 to 31, 20092 deaths · 1 eventThe Station Wildfire started on August 26th in the mountains of Los Angeles County in the Angeles National Forest. The fire burned intensely into the middle of September. When the fire was contained, it had burned over 160,000 acres and destroyed numerous homes.
• Wildfire in Oregon, August 26 to 31, 20091 eventThe Canal Creek Wildfire was located approximately eight miles southwest of Detroit, OR, and 21 miles northeast of Sweet Home, and burned nearly 200 acres before its containment in late September. The cause of the wildfire is still under investigation.
• Wildfire in California, August 27 to 31, 20095 injured · $60,000 · 2 eventsThe Cottonwood Fire began four miles East of Hemet on August 27th at approximately 5:13 PM PDT. The fire spread East along California Highway 74 towards Idyllwild in the San Bernardino National Forest. The fire burned 2,409 acres before being contained on August 31st.
• Wildfire in Washington, August 28 to 30, 20091 eventThe Concrete Plant Fire, located two miles northeast of Coulee Dam, was a fire of unknown cause that burned 600 acres.
• Wildfire in Texas, August 28, 20091 eventThe Sammy Fire in Aransas County burned through 100 acres of drought-stressed fuels, and was caused by fireworks. (N 28 00.481 X W 97 04.785 ) The fire burned through a neighborhood 2 miles southwest of Rockport, damaging one home and threatening 30 others.
• Wildfire in Hawaii, August 29 to 31, 20091 eventDry conditions on the isle of Molokai contributed to a blaze that impacted parts of the island just north of Kaunakakai. The fire blackened about 8000 acres of brush through the end of August, though it continued to burn into September.
• Wildfire in California, August 30 to 31, 20094 injured · $1.0 million · 1 eventThe Oak Glen III Fire started on August 30th around 1:46 PM PDT near the community of Oak Glen in the San Bernardino National Forest. Mandatory evacuations were ordered for parts of Oak Glen. The fire burned 1,159 acres before being contained on September 8th.
• Wildfire in California, August 31, 20091 injured · $1.0 million · 1 eventThe Pendleton Fire began at approximately 3:30 PM PDT on August 31st near Yucaipa. Evacuations were ordered for 1,100 homes and some roads were closed. One residential structure and one outbuilding were destroyed in the 860 acre fire, which was contained on September 3rd.
• Wildfire in California, September 1 to 3, 2009$30,000 · 1 eventThe Pendleton Fire began at approximately 3:30 PM PDT on August 31st near Yucaipa. Evacuations were ordered for 1,100 homes and some roads were closed. One residential structure and one outbuilding were destroyed in the 860 acre fire, which was contained on September 3rd.
• Wildfire in California, September 1 to 8, 2009$20,000 · 1 eventThe Oak Glen III Fire started on August 30th around 1:46 PM PDT near the community of Oak Glen in the San Bernardino National Forest. Mandatory evacuations were ordered for parts of Oak Glen. The fire burned 1,159 acres before being contained on September 8th.
• Wildfire in California, September 1 to 5, 20091 eventThe Red Rock fire in the Marble Mountain Wilderness portion of the Klamath National Forest was started by humans on 8/21/09 around 7 PM PDT. As of 09/02/09, it was at 1382 acres and was 90 percent contained.
• Wildfire in California, September 1 to 30, 20091 eventA few wildfires continued during the month of September in the Sierra Nevada. The Wildcat wildfire, which ignited on July 29, 2009, continued to burn during the months of August and September. The location was 9 miles northwest of Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite NP.
• Wildfire in California, September 1 to 18, 20091 eventThe Station Wildfire started in late August in the mountains of Los Angeles County in the Angeles National Forest. The fire burned intensely into the middle of September. When the fire was contained, it had burned over 160,000 acres and destroyed numerous homes.
• Wildfire in Hawaii, September 1 to 5, 20091 eventDry conditions on the isle of Molokai contributed to a blaze that impacted parts of the island just north of Kaunakakai. The fire blackened about 8000 acres of brush from the end of August through early September. There were no reports of significant property damage or injuries.
• Wildfire in Washington, September 1 to 3, 20091 eventA wildfire of unknown cause burned approximately 310 acres just east of Malott, which closed Highway 97 for more than seven hours.
• Wildfire in California, September 7 to 12, 20094 injured · 1 eventThe Oasis Fire burned in the Cache Creek Wilderness in eastern Lake County.
• Wildfire in Texas, September 9, 20091 eventThe Kelly Wildfire began about twelve miles east southeast of Shamrock in Collingsworth County around 1458 CST. The wildfire consumed an estimated five hundred acres although no structural damage or injuries were reported.
• Debris Flow in Puerto Rico, September 12, 20091 eventShowers and few thunderstorms persisted until the early evening across the interior. This was associated with the afternoon convection which led to saturated ground conditions.
• Wildfire in Oregon, September 13 to 30, 20091 eventThe Boze fire in the Tiller Ranger District of the Umpqua National Forest was started by lightning on 09/13/09 at 0922 PDT. As of 10/01/09, it was at 14500 acres and was about 15 percent contained. Total fire fighting costs were 6.3 million dollars as of 10/01/09.
• Wildfire and Lightning Strike in California, September 13, 20091 injured · 2 eventsThunderstorms brought about 1500 recorded lightning strikes to northern California. One lightning strike injured a woman at a sporting event in Stockton and a number of small wildfires were started across the area.
• Wildfire in Wyoming, September 13 to 30, 20091 eventLightning ignited the Arnica wildfire on Sunday, September 13 in old growth, Lodgepole timber west of Bridge Bay in Yellowstone National Park. The fire was not detected until September 23 when it was discovered to be four acres in size.
• Wildfire in Washington, September 16 to 20, 20091 eventA wildfire of unknown cause, was located six miles south of Nespelem, and burned 1,923 acres. The exact time that the fire began and ended are unknown.
• Wildfire in California, September 19 to 24, 20091 eventThe Silver Fire burned in the Plumas National Forest in Plumas County, about 10 miles west of Quincy.
• Debris Flows and Flood in Puerto Rico, September 20 to 21, 20093 eventsAmple low level moisture combined with favorable upper level conditions associated with an upper level low, produced numerous showers and thunderstorms during this time period every afternoon, affecting the western interior, west and northwest sections of Puerto Rico.
• Wildfire in Oregon, September 21 to 28, 20091 eventTwo wildfires developed in southern Jackson county on 09/21/09. The first was the Siskiyou fire, which developed south of Ashland in the morning. In the afternoon, the Deer Ridge fire started on the east edge of Medford.
• Wildfire in California, September 22 to 27, 200920 injured · 2 eventsThe Guiberson Wildfire burned over 17,000 acres in the valleys of Ventura County. The fire itself was driven by a moderate Santa Ana wind event with gusty northeast winds to around 50 mph reported in and near the fire.
• Wildfire in California, September 22 to 23, 2009$20,000 · 2 eventsTwo wildland fires broke out in Norco On September 22. The fire in the hills east of the city burned 160 acres destroyed a storage building, while the 85 acre fire in the Santa Ana River bottom caused minor damage to one home. No injuries were reported.
• Wildfire in California, September 26 to 29, 20091 eventA few wildfires continued during the month of September in the Sierra Nevada. The Power fire in Sequoia National Forest, ignited on September 27th early in the morning. The cause was unknown. The location was Highway 190 near Springville in Tulare County. The size was 400 acres.
• Wildfire in Oregon, October 1 to 5, 20091 eventThe Boze fire in the Tiller Ranger District of the Umpqua National Forest was started by lightning on 09/13/09 at 0922 PDT. As of 10/05/09, it was at 16725 acres and containment was unknown. Fire behavior was described as smoldering.
• Wildfire in Texas, October 2, 20091 eventThe Beville grass fire began about 1115 CST approximately six miles south southeast of Hereford in Deaf Smith County. The grass fire was located near Farm to Market Road 2943 and County Road 1 and burned three hundred sixty-two and a half acres.
• Wildfire in Arizona, October 2 to 8, 2009$2.5 million · 1 eventA prescribed burn jumped containment lines and became a wildfire southwest of Williams.
• Wildfire in California, October 3 to 10, 20098 injured · $750,000 · 1 eventThe 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.
• Debris Flow in Washington, October 10 to 11, 2009$25 million · 1 eventA large slow moving landslide northwest of Naches covered a section of Highway 410 and damaged homes. The slide also diverted the Naches River which flooded several homes.
• Debris Flow and Heavy Snow in California, October 13 to 14, 200968 kt wind · 6 eventsRemnants of a typhoon enhanced very moist flow off the Pacific Ocean and brought strong winds (to 135 mph over the Sierra Crest) and unusually heavy to record-setting rainfall to the region.
• Debris Flow and Heavy Rain in Nevada, October 13 to 14, 2009$3,000 · 5 eventsRemnants of a typhoon enhanced very moist flow off the Pacific Ocean and brought strong winds and unusually heavy to record-setting rainfall to the region.
• Wildfire in Texas, October 20, 20091 eventThe Smith Ranch grass fire started about 1715 CST about fifteen miles east southeast of Romero in Hartley County. The grass fire was located on Farm to Market Road 767 west of Channing and was determined to have been caused by lightning.
• Debris Flow in North Carolina, October 26, 20091 eventA large rock slide occurred near mile marker 3 on Interstate 40. The slide was thought to be the result of recent wet weather and continuous freezing/thawing of groundwater. The slide resulted in I-40 being closed for several months.
• Wildfire in Texas, November 7, 20091 eventA controlled burn escaped and evolved into a large wildfire in northern Bailey County during the afternoon hours of the 7th. Farmers attempted to burn corn stubble in a field five miles southwest of Muleshoe.
• Debris Flow and Flood in Washington, November 16 to 17, 2009$35,000 · 2 eventsHeavy rain over parts of western WA caused small stream flooding and a landslide. The flooding of Tumwater Creek caused damage to a Port Angeles business. A landslide in Gig Harbor damaged a garage and a vehicle.
• Wildfire in California, November 16 to 18, 20094 injured · $20,000 · 1 eventA brush fire was started along Highway 76 near Verdugo Canyon Road when a tractor crashed into a power pole around 1130 PST on November 16th. The fire burned about 145 acres before being contained on the evening of the 17th.
• Wildfire in Texas, November 21, 20092 injured · $20,000 · 2 eventsLarge grass fires developed over central Bailey and western Hockley Counties during the afternoon of the 21st.

Every billion-dollar disasterEvery storm of 2009Tornadoes in 2009

NOAA NCEI, U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (2025), https://doi.org/10.25921/stkw-7w73, and the Storm Events Database for the episodes.