On August 18, Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency, and on August 19, 2020, reported that the state was battling 367 known fires, many sparked by intense thunderstorms on August 16–17 caused by moisture from the remnants of Tropical Storm Fausto. The intensity of the fire season has been attributed to a combination of more than a century of poor forest management and higher temperatures resulting from climate change. The fires destroyed over 10,000 structures and cost over $12.079 billion (2020 USD) in damages, including over $10 billion in property damage and $2.079 billion in fire suppression costs. California's August Complex fire has been described as the first 'gigafire', burning over 1 million acres across seven counties, an area larger than the state of Rhode Island. By the end of the year, 9,917 fires had burned 4,397,809 acres (1,779,730 ha), more than 4% of the state's roughly 100 million acres of land, making 2020 the largest wildfire season recorded in California's modern history (according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection), though roughly equivalent to the pre-1800 levels which averaged around 4.4 million acres yearly and up to 12 million in peak years. The 2020 California wildfire season, part of the 2020 Western United States wildfire season, was a record-setting year of wildfires in California.

An Augsatellite image of the wildfires burning in Northern California, covering a significant portion of California and nearby states. EPA will coordinate with cities and counties to keep communities informed about the status of the Agency's HHW collection activities.Five of the twenty largest wildfires in California history were part of the 2020 wildfire season. These efforts will reduce potential threats to public health and safety and allow safe removal of solid waste, debris and ash in the fire-affected areas. Following a fire, these products require special handling and disposal, particularly if their containers are compromised. This includes products such as paints, cleaners, solvents, oils, batteries, herbicides and pesticides. HHW includes leftover household products that can catch fire, react, or explode under certain circumstances, or that are corrosive or toxic. Beginning September 9, 2020, FEMA activated EPA Emergency Support Function 10 (ESF-10) and issued Mission Assignments (MAs) under ESF-10 to support Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) assessments and removal at residential parcels in Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Fresno, Butte, and Madera counties. Army Corps of Engineers, and state and local partners in the ongoing joint response to the fires. The State of California proclaimed a State of Emergency in for the fires on August 18, 2020.ĮPA is providing support to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. In September 2020 the Creek Fire burned more than 357,650 acres in Fresno and Madera counties. The North Complex fire also burned and impacted Butte County.

In August 2020, the CZU Lightning Complex, Carmel, River, Dolan Fires, and SCU Lightning Complex fire had a devastating impact on the Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties.

California wildfires 2020 map