What Information You Will Find On This Site:

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) responds to all types of emergencies. When the Department responds to a major CDF jurisdiction incident with one of its Major Incident Command Teams (MICT) the Department will create a web site. Major emergency incidents could include large, extended-day fires, floods, earthquakes, hazardous material spills, etc.

On this site we will post general information concerning an incident. All of our information comes from the firelines and must be approved by the Incident Commander in charge of managing the incident prior to release. As battling a fire, or handling any other disaster is the priority, updates to these sites cannot be guaranteed on a set time schedule. Please use the information on these pages only as a reference. The sites are not meant to provide up to the minute evacuation or fire behavior information. Please refer to the fire information phone numbers provided on this site, and website links for additional information, and monitor your local radio stations for emergency broadcasts. If you live in a wildland area always have an evacuation plan in place.

Fires

Fires occur throughout the State within CDF jurisdiction on a daily basis during fire season. However, the majority of those fires are contained quickly and no information will be provided on these incidents at this site. If you would like to obtain information about a CDF fire burning in your area that is not included on this web site, please contact the CDF Unit that falls within your county as listed in the CDF Facilities Directory.

The Difference Between State, Federal and Local Responsibility

CDF is responsible for fire and emergency response on over 31 million acres of "privately-owned" wildlands in California. The federal government is responsible for fire response on federal lands in California including those that fall under the USFS, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of Indian Affairs. When a fire starts on a National Forest the USFS takes the lead for the incident. There are also  some wildland jurisdictions protected by local government agencies. Via cooperative agreements, CDF responds with crews and equipment to assist when requested by the federal or local governments, and vice a versa, especially when there are a number of major fires burning. The agency with jurisdiction is most commonly the lead and has command over all aspects of the incident. That includes the lead in disseminating information concerning the incident, including fire information phone numbers and media interviews. That also includes Incident websites. At times, when large fires burn through more than one jurisdiction, a joint command will occur. You will find links to other agencies incident websites on this site when they are available.