The smoke looked delicate-like fine strands of cotton caught in the treetops. Left to oppose them were the citizens whose homes and towns stood in the fires’ path.Īt 11:30 a.m., a seasonal firefighter at a hilltop lookout station spotted the first small sign that something was wrong: a thin coil of smoke rising above Beachie Creek. The two megafires, angling toward each other, achieved maximum threat at a moment when most available firefighting resources were dispatched elsewhere. When it emerged, it became one of the biggest wildfires in the country-and was soon joined by another wildfire almost as big. Others hide, nesting underground in root systems and feeding on “duff,” a layer of underbrush and leaves that have decayed and dried into slow-release fuel. in 2020, more than double the acreage of the previous year. All told, wildfires would claim 10 million acres in the U.S. More than 1 million would be burning throughout the Pacific Northwest. More than 3 million acres would soon be burning across California. Global climatic conditions were unprecedented. The United States was in the midst of the most active wildfire season ever recorded, fueled by high temperatures and widespread drought. In real time-for almost three weeks-no one was aware of it.

Whatever the explanation, the fire did not immediately make itself known. Pinpointing specific origins can be difficult, but the storm on July 27 is a likely cause of what came to be known as the Beachie Creek Fire. The surge of current when lightning strikes a tree instantly turns moisture and sap to gas. There would be nine lightning flashes in a 42-minute period. At 6:58 p.m., a network of ground-based triangulation sensors began registering electrical pulses near a watercourse known as Beachie Creek.

The long dark logging camp trailer key