The 2014 King Fire was a large wildfire in El Dorado County, California, which burned 97,717 acres (39,545 hectares) primarily in the Eldorado National Forest. The wildfire started on September 13, 2014, near Pollock Pines, California, to the east of Sacramento. The ensuing fire suppression effort, which cost more than $100 million and engaged more than 8,000 personnel at its peak, allowed for the full containment of the King Fire by October 9, 2014. Despite the size and ferocity of the fire, it caused no deaths. Eighty structures were destroyed, the majority of them outbuildings. The King Fire was determined to have been caused by an act of arson and a suspect was swiftly apprehended and convicted in 2016.
Background
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Much of the Eldorado National Forest where the King Fire burned had no recent fire history. The last major wildfire there had been the Cleveland Fire in 1992, which burned roughly 22,500 acres (9,100 ha).[4][5]
Progression
The King Fire began on Saturday, September 13, 2014.[6] It was ignited by an act of arson along King of the Mountain Road—from which the fire got its name—in Pollock Pines, a small community along U.S. Route 50 in the western Sierra Nevada between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe.[7]
On September 16, three days after starting, the fire had spread to 11,520 hectares (115.2 km2), forcing the evacuation of over five hundred homes.[8] A handcrew of ten inmates and a fire captain were saved from being overrun when they were led to safety by a helicopter that was staged at the nearby Swansboro Country Airport.[9]
On September 17, the fire underwent a rapid expansion, pushing forward 15 miles (24 km) and burning an additional 50,000 acres (20,000 ha).[6] Firebrands and embers created spot fires more than three miles (4.8 km) downwind of the main fire.[4] California governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in El Dorado County, citing the fire's threat to water and power infrastructure.[10]
By the start of October the fire had grown to 97,099 acres (39,295 ha) with containment increasing to 94%.[11] On October 9, the perimeter of the King Fire was reported to be 100% contained, with a final acreage of 97,717 acres (39,545 ha).[3][12] The U.S. Forest Service calculated the total cost of fighting the King Fire at approximately $117 million.[6]
Cause
The firefighters first on scene detected multiple points of origin for the King Fire, leading the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office to swiftly conclude that arson had been the cause. Within days, witnesses came forward and disclosed that they had encountered Wayne Huntsman, a Pollock Pines resident and former inmate firefighter, near the scene of the fire's origin. Huntsman had told two of them "You better get home. Your house is going to burn down." After being given a ride near the fire, Huntsman had shown another man a 'selfie' video of himself in the forest, surrounded by flames. The man recorded Huntsman's video and submitted the information to authorities.[7]
On September 18, 2014, Wayne Huntsman was arrested on suspicion of intentionally starting the fire.[1][13] He initially pled not guilty to the charges,[14] but in April 2016 pled guilty to arson. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison, the maximum allowable sentence, and ordered to pay $60 million in restitution by an El Dorado County Superior Court judge.[15][16]
Effects
The King Fire injured a total of twelve people.[17] It destroyed 12 residences and 68 other structures.[6]
Closures and evacuations
The King Fire threatened hydroelectric infrastructure and recreation areas throughout the Sierra Nevada west of Tahoe. The U.S. Forest Service closed trails to the Desolation Wilderness from the Eldorado National Forest on September 11.[18] The total number of evacuees reached 2,830.[6]
Environmental impacts
The King Fire produced copious amounts of smoke, pushing parts of Placer, El Dorado, Nevada, and Amador counties into unhealthy-to-hazardous ranges of PM2.5air pollution. Officials temporarily deployed emergency air-quality sensors throughout the Sierra.[19]
Growth and containment
Fire containment status
Gray: contained; Red: active; %: percent contained;
The King Fire as captured by NASA’s Aqua satellite on September 17
The King Fire as captured by NASA’s Landsat 8 satellite on September 19: "In the false-color image, burned forest appears red; unaffected forests are green; cleared forest is beige; and smoke is blue"
^Megna, Dan (2015). "1600 Yards to Freedom". Vertical Magazine, Heli-Expo news. p. 46. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
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