2008 California wildfires
The 2008 California wildfire season was one of the most devastating in the state of the 21st century. While 6,255 fires occurred, about two-thirds as many as in 2007, the total area burned— 1,593,690 acres (6,449.4 square kilometres)—far exceeded that of previous years.
| 2008 California wildfires | |
|---|---|
Some of the wildfires as seen from space during the height of the summer outbreak on July 9, 2008. | |
| Statistics | |
| Total fires | 6,255 |
| Total area | 1,593,690 acres (6,449.4 km2) |
| Impacts | |
| Deaths | 32 (13 firefighters) |
| Non-fatal injuries | At least 93 |
| Damage | Over $651.5 million (2008 USD) |
| Season | |
← 2007
2009 → | |
By July 5, 2008, 328 wildfires were burning, and those fires were only 81% contained. For the first time since 1977, the US military helped with ground-based firefighting, when Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger dispatched 400 California National Guard troops, including Chief Medical Officer Susan Pangelinan, to manage fire lines. He said the number of fires had stretched the state's fire-fighting resources thin. "One never has resources for 1,700 fires. Who has the resources for that?" Schwarzenegger said, adding, "Something is happening, clearly. There's more need for resources than ever before... it's fire season all year round."