By: Joshua O. Kiefer

August 14, 2021 was the start of California’s Caldor Fire, and is the second fire of this year. The Dixie fire started a month earlier on July 14 and is now almost three times the size of the Caldor fire. According to The New York Times the Caldor Fire has traveled over 200,000 acres (312 miles), and according to CNN the Dixie fire has spread over 900,000 acres (1406 miles).

The Dixie wildfire started when a tree fell on a PG&E line. This fire has been spreading for around 2 months. It has destroyed 1,282 buildings, more than half being houses. The fire is the second largest in the state and is closing the gap for first. The Dixie Fire is around 60% contained and slowed.

The Caldor Fire started in heavy lumber. The fire has only been spreading for only a month but has caused a lot of damage. It burned 990 buildings and caused 22,000 people to evacuate. The fire has been 50% contained and has also slowed down.

It has only been a year since the last fire. The El Dorado fire was caused by a gender reveal party that used pyrotechnics. This fire killed a few firefighters and spread around 22,000 acres (34 miles).