Wildfire Progression Series
Wildfire is a natural phenomenon, a regular and necessary process for a forest ecosystem. At the same time, it can be very harmful and destructive to human lives. The Wildfire Progression Series examines these opposing perspectives, and brings attention to the dissonant forces at play in wildland areas that have regularly burned throughout history, and are increasingly being developed for human use.
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We might think of wildfires as natural disasters, but as many as 90% of wildfires are caused by human activity like carelessly discarded cigarettes, downed power lines, or arson. The remaining 10% are chance occurrences such as lightning strikes.
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The source data used to create these works is the California Department of Forestry Fire and Resource Assessment Program’s fire progression maps of the Rim Fire, Stanislaus National Forest, CA; the Cedar Fire, San Diego County; and the Camp Fire, Butte County.
Camp Fire Progression
Records: Deadliest and most destructive in California history
Cause: Electrical transmission fire
Duration: November 8 - November 25, 2018
Total Burned Area: 153,336 acres
Buildings Burned: 18,804
Fatalities: 85
The Camp Fire was ignited by a faulty electric transmission line in Northern California on November 8, 2018. Largely driven by extreme weather conditions — high winds and low humidity — the fire spread through fuels parched by more than 200 days without significant precipitation. The towns of Paradise and Concow were almost completely destroyed, each losing about 95% of structures in town, and the fires rapid spread caused 85 civilian fatalities.
Cedar Fire Progression
Cause: Signal Fire
Duration: October 25 - December 5, 2003
Total Burned Area: 280,278 acres
Buildings Burned: 2,820
Fatalities: 15
This sculpture embodies the shape of the Cedar Fire as it expanded geographically over the first 114 hours that it burned. This wildfire was part of the “2003 Firestorm” event in San Diego County and at the time it was the largest recorded wildfire in California’s history. The fire was intentionally started by a novice hunter who became lost and wanted to signal rescuers. Due to the heat, low humidity and low moisture, and high winds, the hunter quickly lost control of the fire. The massive burn area totaled 280,278 acres, destroyed 2,820 buildings, and caused 15 fatalities, including one firefighter.
Rim Fire Progression
Records: The 3rd largest fire (at the time) in California history
Cause: Illegal campfire
Duration: August 17 through September 24, 2013
Total Burned Area: 257,314 acres
Buildings Burned: 112
Fatalities: None
The Rim Fire started in 2013 when a lost hunter lost control of an illegal campfire in a remote canyon in the Stanislaus National Forest just outside of Yosemite National Park. The fire doubled in size overnight and within four days had consumed 100,000 acres. The fire's rapid spread was attributed to a record-breaking drought, a heat wave, past fire suppression efforts that had altered the normal fire regime, population growth, and Forest Service budget cuts. The artist gathered some of the charred wood from the area of the Rim Fire and made her own ink using the charcoal, which she used to create this drawing.
