的 2020 fire season has been devastating. Massive blazes have ravaged the Western US, swallowing entire neighborhoods and torching millions of acres.
Colorado’s largest wildfire in state history is still burning. In California alone, firefighters have battled more than 8,600 blazes this year.
All of them, with their own unique name: The Bullfrog Fire. The Creek Fire. The Fork Fire. The Wolf Fire.
But why name them? And how are they named?
The answer to both questions, fire officials say, is almost always tied to the fire’s location.
“That allows the firefighters that are responding to them to quickly understand where they’re going.”
Dipatchers often choose fire names based on geographic markers — it could be the fire’s location, or a nearby street name, park or lake, Berlant said.
“It’s up to the dispatcher who is dispatching the fire to assign it a name right at the point of dispatch,” 他说.
的 Fork Fire, 例如, began near South Fork Road, in northern California’s El Dorado County. 的 Bullfrog Fire began near Bullfrog Lake in Fresno County.
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Flames from the Cameron Peak Fire, the largest wildfire in Colorado history, work their way along a ridge outside Estes Park on Friday, 十月 16.
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An airplane drops fire retardant on the Bruder Fire in Redlands, 加利福尼亚州, 星期四, 十月 15.
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博士. Alex Herman, 对, and veterinary technician Linden West examine Captain Cal, a 6-week-old mountain lion cub recovering from severe burn injuries at the Oakland Zoo Hospital in Oakland, 加利福尼亚州. The zoo later took in two more cubs rescued from the same fire.
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Burned bottles of wine sit in a pile at the Castello di Amorosa winery, which was destroyed by the Glass Fire in Calistoga, 加利福尼亚州, 在十月 1. Wildfires have damaged and destroyed dozens of the region’s famed wineries, many of them family-owned businesses.
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A firefighter walks along a path as the Glass Fire burns in Calistoga, 加利福尼亚州, 在十月 1.
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Vehicles burned in the Glass Fire sit outside of a home that survived in Calistoga on September 30.
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The remains of guest houses smolder at Calistoga Ranch after the Glass Fire passed through on September 30.
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Firefighter Abraham Garcia signals a water truck in Angwin, 加利福尼亚州, 在九月 29.
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Firefighters watch the Glass Fire slowly creep across a clearing near Calistoga on September 29.
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Damaged wine barrels sit stacked at the Fairwinds Estate Winery in Calistoga on September 29.
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The Glass Fire burns in the background as Josh Asbury, an employee of CableCom, installs fiber-optic cable in Calistoga on September 28.
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Residents of the Oakmont Gardens senior home are transported to safety as the Shady Fire approaches in Santa Rosa on September 28.
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Cellar worker Jose Juan Perez extinguishes hotspots at Castello di Amorosa, a Calistoga winery that was damaged in the Glass Fire.
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An officer with Napa County Animal Control rescues a cat after the Glass Fire passed through Napa Valley, 加利福尼亚州, 在九月 28.
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The Glass Fire burns on a Napa County mountainside on September 28.
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Flames from the Glass Fire consume the Black Rock Inn in St. Helena, 加利福尼亚州, 在九月 27.
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Embers fly from a tree as the Glass Fire burns in St. Helena on September 27.
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An air tanker drops fire retardant on the Glass Fire, which was burning near the Davis Estates winery in Calistoga on September 27.
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Cal Fire Capt. Jesse Campbell works to save the Louis Stralla Water Treatment Plant as the Glass Fire burns in St. Helena.
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A photograph of Charles Morton, a firefighter killed battling the El Dorado Fire, is displayed at a memorial service in San Bernardino, 加利福尼亚州, 在九月 25. Morton, 39, was a 14-year veteran of the US Forest Service and a squad boss with the Big Bear Hotshot Crew of the San Bernardino National Forest.
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An inmate firefighter takes a break while working to contain the Bear Fire in Oroville, 加利福尼亚州, 在九月 24.
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Inmate firefighters extinguish hot spots while working to contain the Bear Fire on September 24.
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The Bobcat Fire burns near Cedar Springs, 加利福尼亚州, 在九月 21.
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Wildfire smoke rises in Medicine Bow National Forest in southeastern Wyoming on September 21.
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A deer looks for food in an area burned by the Bobcat Fire in Pearblossom, 加利福尼亚州.
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A woman takes photos as the Bobcat Fire burns in Juniper Hills, 加利福尼亚州, 在九月 18.
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Wind whips embers from Joshua trees burned by the Bobcat Fire in Juniper Hills on September 18.
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Firefighter Kirk McDusky walks past smoke rising from the Brattain Fire in Paisley, 俄勒冈州, 在九月 18.
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A Juniper Hills home burns during the Bobcat Fire on September 18.
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A firefighter battles the Bobcat Fire while defending the Mount Wilson observatory in Los Angeles on September 17.
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Stacey Kahny fixes her hair inside her tent at the evacuation center at the Jackson County Fairgrounds in Central Point, 俄勒冈州, 在九月 16. Kahny lived with her parents at a trailer park in Phoenix, 俄勒冈州, that was destroyed by fire.
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A charred yearbook lies in the debris as Fred Skaff and his son Thomas clean up their home in Phoenix, 俄勒冈州, 在九月 16.
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In this aerial photo taken with a drone, red fire retardant sits on leveled homes in Talent, 俄勒冈州, 在九月 15.
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A firefighter works at the scene of the Bobcat Fire burning on hillsides near Monrovia, 加利福尼亚州, 在九月 15.
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President Donald Trump listens as California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks about the wildfires during a briefing on September 14.
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George Coble walks through his destroyed property in Mill City, 俄勒冈州, 在九月 12.
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The Bobcat Fire burns in Angeles National Forest, north of Monrovia, 加利福尼亚州, 在九月 11.
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Crystal Sparks kisses her 4-year-old twins, Chance and Ryder Sutton, as they escape the Obenchain Fire in Butte Falls, 俄勒冈州, 在九月 11.
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North Valley Disaster Group member Kari Zeitler and Butte County Animal Control officer Linda Newman bridle up two donkeys wandering along a roadside in Berry Creek, 加利福尼亚州, 在九月 11. The donkeys were displaced by the Bear Fire.
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A firefighter shoots an incendiary device during a back burn to help control the Dolan Fire in Big Sur, 加利福尼亚州, 在九月 11.
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Dora Negrete is consoled by her son Hector Rocha after seeing their destroyed mobile home in Talent, 俄勒冈州, 在九月 10.
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This aerial photo shows a destroyed mobile-home park in Phoenix, 俄勒冈州, 在九月 10.
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A street is shrouded by smoke from wildfires in West Linn, 俄勒冈州, 在九月 10.
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A tanker jet drops fire retardant to slow the Bobcat Fire in the Angeles National Forest north of Monrovia, 加利福尼亚州, 在九月 10.
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Looking up San Francisco’s Columbus Avenue, the Transamerica Pyramid and Salesforce Tower are covered with smoke from nearby wildfires on September 9. This photo was taken in the late morning.
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Visitors of San Francisco’s Dolores Park are seen under an orange sky darkened by smoke 在九月 9.
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Wildfire smoke hangs over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on September 9.
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Bejhan Razi, a senior building inspector in Mill Valley, 加利福尼亚州, checks out repairs on a lamp-post clock as the sky is illuminated by nearby wildfires.
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People stand in Alamo Square Park as smoke hangs over San Francisco on September 9.
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People stop to take pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge as it is affected from smoke by nearby wildfires on September 9.
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Firefighters cut defensive lines and light backfires to protect structures in Butte County, 加利福尼亚州, 在九月 9.
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Flames shoot from a home in Butte County.
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A Pacific Gas and Electric worker looks up at the advancing Creek Fire near Alder Springs, 加利福尼亚州, 在九月 8.
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Lisa Theis unloads the last of her 44 alpacas after she evacuated her ranch in North Fork, 加利福尼亚州.
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Flames burn at a home leveled by the Creek Fire in Fresno County, 加利福尼亚州.
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A slide is melted at a school playground in Fresno County.
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Rubble is seen on September 7 after a wildfire left the small town of Malden, 华盛顿州, in ruins. The fire destroyed about 80% of the homes and buildings in Malden, which is about 35 miles south of Spokane.
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Firefighter Nick Grinstead battles the Creek Fire in Shaver Lake, 加利福尼亚州, 在九月 7.
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A firefighter in Jamul, 加利福尼亚州, battles the Valley Fire on September 6.
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A fire encroaches Japatul Road in Jamul on September 6.
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Little League baseball players warm up for a game near Dehesa, 加利福尼亚州, as the Valley Fire burns on September 6.
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A firefighter watches the advancing Creek Fire in Shaver Lake.
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A business owner in Shaver Lake walks next to kayaks he rents as smoke from the Creek Fire fills the sky on September 6.
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Family members comfort each other as the El Dorado Fire moves closer to their home in Yucaipa, 加利福尼亚州, 在九月 6.
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A firefighter sets a controlled burn with a drip torch while fighting the Creek Fire in Shaver Lake.
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Dozens of evacuees are airlifted to safety on a California National Guard helicopter on September 5. The Creek Fire had left them stranded in a popular camping area in the Sierra National Forest.
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Firefighters walk in a line in Yucaipa on September 5.
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Haze and smoke blanket the sky near Naches, 华盛顿州, as the Evans Canyon Fire burns on September 3.
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加州政府. 加文·纽瑟姆（Gavin Newsom）, 对, listens as Santa Cruz State Park Superintendent Chris Spohrer talks about the fire damage to the Big Basin Redwoods State Park.
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Randy Hunt packs up his belongings, including his daughter Natasha’s first Pooh bear, 剩下, in case he and his wife Sheli had to evacuate the home they rent in Middletown, 加利福尼亚州, 在八月 26.
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Firefighter Juan Chavarin pulls down a burning tree trunk in Guerneville, 加利福尼亚州, 在八月 25.
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A sign reading “Vaca Strong” adorns a charred hillside in Vacaville, 加利福尼亚州, 在八月 24.
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Austin Giannuzzi cries while embracing relatives at the burned remains of their Vacaville home on August 23.
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A firefighter looks out from a helicopter while battling the LNU Lightning Complex fires in Lake County, 加利福尼亚州.
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Flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires leap above Butts Canyon Road in Lake County on August 23.
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Karol Markowski of the South Pasadena Fire Department hoses down hot spots while battling the CZU Lightning Complex fires in Boulder Creek, 加利福尼亚州, 在八月 22.
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A burned-out vehicle is left in front of a destroyed residence as smoke fills the sky in Boulder Creek on August 22.
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Smoke hangs low in the air at the Big Basin Redwoods State Park as some redwoods burn in Boulder Creek on August 22.
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A firefighter watches the LNU Lightning Complex fires spread through the Berryessa Estates neighborhood in Napa County on August 21.
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Veterinary technician Brianna Jeter comforts a llama injured by a fire in Vacaville on August 21. At right, animal control officer Dae Kim prepares to euthanize the llama.
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Smoke from nearby wildfires hangs over San Francisco on August 21.
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A firefighter monitors the advance of a fire in Boulder Creek on August 21.
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Members of the US Forest Service discuss their next moves to battle the Grizzly Creek Fire near Dotsero, 科罗拉多州, 在八月 21.
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People pack brown-bag lunches at an evacuation center in Santa Cruz, 加利福尼亚州, 在八月 21.
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A smoke plume from the LNU Lightning Complex fires billows over Healdsburg, 加利福尼亚州, 在八月 20.
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A firefighter battles flames in Santa Cruz County, 加利福尼亚州, 在八月 20.
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Only scorched homes and vehicles remain in the Spanish Flat Mobile Villa in Napa County, 加利福尼亚州, 在八月 20.
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Peter Koleckar reacts after seeing multiple homes burned in his neighborhood in Bonny Doon, 加利福尼亚州, 在八月 20.
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A forest burns in Bonny Doon on August 20.
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A man looks at a tree blocking his way after a fire ravaged Vacaville, 加利福尼亚州, 在八月 20.
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A melted plastic fence lies on the charred ground after fire swept through Vacaville on August 20.
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Sarah Hawkins searches through rubble after her Vacaville home was destroyed on August 20.
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Fire crews maintain a backburn to control the River Fire near the Las Palmas neighborhood in Salinas, 加利福尼亚州, 在八月 19.
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Gina Santos cries in her car after evacuating Vacaville on August 19.
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People herd cows down Pleasants Valley Road in Vacaville on August 19.
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Flames consume a home in Napa County, 加利福尼亚州, 在八月 19.
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Embers burn along a hillside above Lake Berryessa as the LNU Lightning Complex fires tear through Napa County on August 18. This image was taken with a long exposure.
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A resident runs into a home to save a dog while flames from the Hennessy Fire close in near Lake Berryessa on August 18.
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A home burns as the LNU Lightning Complex fires tear through the Spanish Flat community in Napa County on August 18.
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An air tanker drops retardant on fires in the Spanish Flat community of Napa County on August 18.
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Flames from the Hennessy Fire consume a cabin at the Nichelini Family Winery in Napa County on August 18.
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Tony Leonardini works on a spot fire as thunderstorm winds fan the Hennessy Fire in Napa County on August 17.
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Smoke from the Grizzly Creek Fire is thick in Glenwood Canyon, near Glenwood Springs, 科罗拉多州, 在八月 16.
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Kathy Mathison looks at the still-smoldering wildfire on August 16 那, just a day before, came within several feet of her home in Bend, 俄勒冈州.
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Firefighters look at smoke and flames rising from the Ranch2 Fire in the San Gabriel Mountains, east of Los Angeles, 在八月 14.
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A helicopter makes a water drop over the Ranch2 Fire in Azusa, 加利福尼亚州, 在八月 13.
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A car is charred by the Lake Fire near Lake Hughes, 60 洛杉矶以北几英里, 在八月 13.
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A couple watches the Ranch2 Fire from a distance on August 13.
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A firefighter crew works in Lake Hughes on August 13.
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The Lake Fire burns a home in Angeles National Forest on August 13.
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Flames and smoke from the Lake Fire rise on Wednesday, 八月 12.
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A firefighter works against the Lake Fire on August 12.
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Firefighters make an escape plan as the Lake Fire burns a hillside on August 12.
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A tanker makes a drop on the Lake Fire on August 12.
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A plume of smoke rises from the Lake Fire on August 12.
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Fire crews battle the Grizzly Creek Fire near Glenwood Springs, 科罗拉多州, 在八月 11.
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Here’s where it gets complicated
Not every name is a simple one. 在八月, several of California’s largest wildfires in history burned through the state. Among them were the SCU Lightning Complex and LNU Lightning Complex.
Where do those names come from?
“In the summer months, when we see lightning, we often will see a large number of fires all occur in the same geographic area,” Berlant said. “Operationally, it’s more efficient for us to manage these fires under one command.”
Firefighters responding to the Bear fire, part of the North Lightning Complex fires in Butte County, 加利福尼亚州, in September of 2020
The fires that are close to each other are managed under one “complex.” And each complex gets its name from the Cal Fire unit that it’s managed by.
“SCU is for Santa Clara Unit,” Berlant said. “So the SCU Lightning Complex is in the Santa Clara unit.”
