The Fawn Fire was a damaging wildfire near Redding, Shasta County, in the U.S. state of California in September and October 2021. Caused by a suspected act of arson in the evening of September 22, the fire began in mountains to the northeast of Redding and was driven by high winds the following day south and west into wildland-urban interface (WUI) neighborhoods. The fire ultimately destroyed 185 structures (including residences, commercial buildings, and outbuildings) and damaged 26. Three firefighters engaged in suppression of the fire were injured, but there were no recorded civilian injuries or fatalities. The fire cost more than $25 million to suppress and burned before being fully contained on October 2. A Palo Alto woman was arrested the day of its ignition and charged with starting the fire. , legal proceedings were ongoing.
The Fawn Fire was one of the last and most destructive major wildfires of the 2021 California wildfire season, which was notable for its severity. The fire was also the latest in a string of destructive WUI wildfires in the Redding area in recent years, including the 1999 Jones Fire and the 2013 Clover Fire. Most infamously, in 2018 the Carr Fire killed multiple people and destroyed hundreds of structures on the western outskirts of the city and in the communities of Shasta, Keswick, and Centerville.
Progression
Context
Northern California experienced many large and destructive wildfires in the summer of 2021, all of them exacerbated by drought and prolonged heat waves such as the 2021 Western North America heat wave. Multiple fires burned in or near Shasta County, including the Salt Fire and the Dixie Fire. The immediate area had no significant or recent fire history, though the 1999 Jones Fire and 2004 Bear Fire burned a combined 37,000 acres and hundreds of structures in the Jones Valley region just to the east of the Fawn Fire's footprint.
September 22
The fire began at approximately 4:45 p.m. PDT in the steep, forested drainage of the West Fork Stillwater Creek in the Shasta National Forest, west of Blue Ridge and south of Allie Cove Campground near Shasta Lake. The area, more generally located in the mountains between Redding's sparse northern fringes and Shasta Lake, was accessible only using nearby quarry roads. The fire's dispatched location was near the intersection of Fawndale Road (which gave the incident its name) and Radcliff Road, immediately to the east of Interstate 5 and between the community of Mountain Gate to the south and Shasta Lake to the north. At approximately 5:00 pm, Cal Fire reported that the fire was 20 acres and exhibiting a rapid rate of spread, burning in timber. By 6:30 p.m. the fire was 50 acres and 0% contained.
On the night of September 22, gusty north winds caused the fire to spot and spread rapidly.
September 23
By 7:00 a.m. on the morning of September 23, the fire was reported as 150 acres and 5% contained. Winds continued to increase throughout the morning and afternoon. At the same time, the Shasta County Sheriff's Office issued the first evacuation warning for the fire, for the area north of Bear Mountain Road, from Kitty Hawk Lane to Moss Drive. An evacuation order was issued by 9:00 a.m. for all roads off of Bear Mountain Road between Dry Creek and Old Oregon Trail. By 9:20, the fire was reported as 800 acres and 5% contained, and by 12:30, it was reported as 1,200 acres and 5% contained.
The Fawn Fire's growth was fueled by a combination of high winds with gusts over 20 miles per hour, temperatures as high as 97 degrees, and a relative humidity down to 10%. The wind-driven fire exhibited "extreme" and "explosive" behavior as it moved primarily south and west out of the mountains towards Redding and into brush, oak woodlands, and neighborhoods, threatening more than 2,000 structures.
At least 555 firefighting personnel were engaged on the fire using bulldozers to create firebreaks, water tenders to defend structures and attack spot fires, and over a dozen air tankers and helicopters dropping fire retardant and water in an effort to reduce the intensity and rate of spread of the fire. During the height of the air attack effort on September 23, 53,000 gallons of fire retardant were dropped in a 90-minute period. Evacuation warnings and orders continued to expand, eventually covering all areas east of Interstate 5 and north of State Route 299 (including Shasta College, which had briefly been an evacuation center).
Winds and fire behavior moderated in the afternoon and evening. By 7:00 p.m. the fire was reported as 5,500 acres and 5% contained.