What caused the Creek Fire near Fresno last year? Here’s what investigation reveals
Forest service officials announced Friday that they do not definitively know what caused the largest single-incident wildfire in California history.
Following months of investigation, officials categorized the cause of the Creek Fire as “undetermined,” according to a news release issued by the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region.
Lightning is the most likely cause of the blaze that burned for nearly three months in the Sierra National Forest northeast of Fresno, the release stated. Arson and smoking activities were “not excluded” as possible causes.
“We all want to know a definitive cause to what started the devastating Creek Fire last year,” Sierra National Forest Supervisor Dean Gould said. “Investigators spent countless hours hiking rugged terrain to determine the cause, interviewed numerous leads, and eliminated multiple potential causes. In the end, lightning remains as the probable cause.”
Despite persistent rumors, and even some evidence, of illegal marijuana grow sites near the fire’s origin, investigators have excluded a pot garden in Big Creek Canyon as a potential cause.
Other potential causes excluded by investigators include: equipment use; escaped campfire; debris burning; hazardous fuels reduction burning; railroad operations; activities by children; and “miscellaneous,” a category that includes powerlines, fireworks, cutting, welding, grinding, firearms use, blasting, structures, glass reflection/refraction, spontaneous combustion and flare stacks/fire pits.
“I want to thank the investigation team who spent hundreds of hours to try to determine the cause of the Creek Fire, as well as the public for their patience and understanding during this comprehensive investigation,” Gould added. “Future leads or information related to the cause of the Creek Fire may result in a change of the conclusion. At this point, the case is considered closed, pending further leads.”
The Creek Fire ignited in the early evening of Sept. 4, 2020, the Friday before Labor Day weekend, in rugged canyon wedged between Shaver and Huntington lakes. Fire managers believed they had the blaze under control, according to radio transcripts, only to see it quickly spread overnight due to dry conditions brought on by drought and climate change, tree mortality and updraft winds.
The explosive blaze produced towering pyrocumulonimbus clouds that triggered lightning and caused fire tornadoes, extreme fire conditions that astounded meteorologists and atmospheric scientists.
By the time officials declared the Creek Fire 100% contained on Christmas Eve, it had burned 379,895 acres, destroyed 853 structures and damaged 64 more. Most were single-family homes in the Fresno County mountain communities of Pineridge, Alder Springs and Meadow Lakes. The town of Big Creek also sustained significant fire damage, as did multiple tracts of cabins along Huntington Lake.
The Creek Fire consumed at least $250 million worth of homes and property, according to Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig, while county-owned assets such as roads and bridges sustained between $20 million and $30 million in damages.
The Sierra National Forest, which largely oversaw the firefighting efforts, estimated the management costs at $193 million. At one point, nearly 3,000 fire personnel were called in to battle the flames and assist containment efforts. No deaths were reported from the blaze, which burned up the San Joaquin River drainage nearly as far north as the Minaret Range and as far east as Edison Lake.
The fire’s cause was the subject of rumor and speculation since its outset, with an illegal marijuana grow, an escaped campfire, lightning and arson among the leading theories. Officials ascribed the lengthy investigation to the ruggedness of the terrain as well as the size of the blaze.
Given the complexities involved, an “undetermined” status is not uncommon according to the forest service news release.
In a statement issued following the announcement, Magsig said he was “grateful” the report was made public.
“It’s unfortunate that the cause of the fire is listed as undetermined as it’s hard for the residents and those who lost so much to find closure,” Magsig said. “The County continues to support those affected with a variety of services that we offer.”
Available resources to residents can be located on the Fresno County Recovers web page.
This story was originally published July 16, 2021 at 12:42 PM.
