Episode 15 – California’s First Gigafire: 2020 August Complex Fire

This episode is in-depth analysis of the August Complex Fire, which was the most massive fire incident that started in August 2020 during the unprecedented lightning wildfire season.  It has officially become the largest wildfire in California's modern  history and is frequently described in slang as the state's first "gigafire" because it burned over one million acres of land, an area larger than the state of Rhode Island.   The fire burned through timberlands in three national forests – the Mendocino, Shasta-Trinity, and Six Rivers, until it was contained in early November 2020.  Over 930 rural community structures were destroyed and one firefighter was killed in the line of duty.  Listeners should go to the Facebook page album at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122141579763079001&type=3 to follow along with the presentation slides.  Recorded comments from firefighters who were on the ground in 2020 trying to control the August Complex fires can be heard at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI9ikgLJ2II