# Reading Fire

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2012 wildfire in Northern California

Reading Fire The Reading Fire seen on August 7, 2012 from Mount Harkness, with Lassen Peak to the left Date July 23 (23-07) – August 22, 2012 (2012-08-22) (31 days) Location Shasta County, Northern California, United States Coordinates 40°29′42″N 121°27′14″W / 40.495°N 121.454°W / 40.495; -121.454 Statistics Burned area 28,079 acres (11,363 ha; 44 sq mi; 114 km2) Impacts Injuries 2 Cost $17 million (equivalent to about $23 million in 2024) Ignition Cause Lightning Map The footprint of the fire in Lassen Volcanic National Park and the Lassen National Forest Location within California

The 2012 **Reading Fire** was a large [wildfire](/source/Wildfire) in [Lassen Volcanic National Park](/source/Lassen_Volcanic_National_Park) and the [Lassen National Forest](/source/Lassen_National_Forest) in [Northern California](/source/Northern_California). Ignited by a lightning strike on July 23, the fire was [managed](/source/Controlled_burn) for ecological benefits by park officials until shifts in the weather caused the fire to jump its intended control lines. The Reading Fire ultimately burned 28,079 acres (11,363 hectares), partially outside the park, before it was fully contained on August 22, 2012. The fire destroyed no buildings and caused no fatalities or even serious injuries. The fire's unintended escape led members of the public and several California politicians to criticize park officials for allowing the fire to go unsuppressed after its discovery.

## Background

Burn scars in [tree rings](/source/Tree_rings) suggest that wildfires historically burned in the area that is now Lassen Volcanic National Park with a return interval of between five and 15 years, and with mixed severities. This baseline changed dramatically beginning in 1905, when [fire suppression](/source/Wildfire_suppression) efforts began in earnest. The new fire regime lasted until park policy changed in the 1980s, and Lassen Volcanic National Park began managing lightning-ignited fires for their ecological benefits within the Lassen Volcanic Wilderness.[1][2] Wildfires in the park have a "strong tendency" to burn from southwest to northeast.[3]: 34

A scant winter snowpack leading up to the 2012 fire season in Northern California drove the moisture levels in all dead fuels (including large fuels that take longer to dry out, such as dead fallen trees and brush piles) to record low levels. The low fuel moistures contributed to '[spotting](/source/Spotting_fire)' fire behavior on the Reading Fire, where wind-blown firebrands or embers start new fires where they land.[4][3]: 24–26

## Progression

On July 23, 2012, thunderstorms developed over Lassen Volcanic National Park. Lightning struck a single [red fir](/source/Red_fir) tree on a north-facing slope, at about 7,100 ft (2,200 metres) in elevation, and ignited it at approximately 5:09 p.m. [PDT](/source/Pacific_Time_Zone).[5][6] The ignition point was located in a designated wilderness area, approximately one mile (1.6 kilometres) northeast of Paradise Meadows and 2.5 miles (4.0 km) east of [Lassen Peak](/source/Lassen_Peak), south of the [Lassen National Park Highway](/source/California_State_Route_89).[6][3]: 13, 44 The fire was named for Reading Peak, which lay nearby.[6]

A park fire management officer and a member of the Forest Service hiked in to the fire, directed by a reconnaissance aircraft.[6] At that point, late in the day, the fire had hardly expanded beyond the lone red fir tree and its behavior was subdued—a later report described the fire at this point as being three feet (0.91 m) by five feet (1.5 m) and "smoldering".[3]: 44 After evaluating local topographical features and other conditions (such as a dearth of dense vegetation, a cooler northern slope, ridges and roads at which to limit fire spread, etc.), the personnel at the scene concluded the area was potentially conducive to a managed wildfire and deferred the decision of whether to extinguish the fire or not to the following day.[6]

On July 24, park personnel conversed among themselves and with experts (including the National Park Service’s regional fire ecologist) before receiving permission from the Lassen Volcanic National Park superintendent to manage the fire.[6] The initial goal was to confine the fire to an area of just 700 acres (280 hectares), bounded by two drainages and by Lassen National Park Highway to the north.[3]: 44 The Reading Fire was initially managed by a Type 4 [incident management team](/source/Incident_management_team) and approximately 16 firefighters.[3]: 13 By July 30, one week after ignition, the fire had grown to three acres (1.2 hectares).[3]: 13 During that week the fire behaved as predicted, slowly spreading downhill while only consuming surface fuels/vegetation.[6]

As the calendar turned to August, the fire began to expand at a greater pace. By the 3rd of the month, it had burned 50 acres (20 ha), and by the following day, 94 acres (38 ha). On August 6, as management of the fire was being handed over to a Type 3 incident management team, the Reading Fire [spotted](/source/Spot_fire) (jumped, via windblown embers) across the park highway where personnel had intended to hold the fire. The fire took root in the [Hat Creek](/source/Hat_Creek_(California)) drainage and continued to expand, reaching 1,010 acres (410 ha) by the end of the day.[3]: 14–15

Firefighters scout for [spot fires](/source/Spot_fire) in a meadow on August 5, 2012

On August 7, continued winds out of the south pushed the fire north and out of the park itself, and the Reading Fire became established on Badger Mountain in the Lassen National Forest.[3]: 15 Air tankers attacked the resulting spot fires.[7] Fire growth continued to accelerate: on the 8th the fire had burned 2,000 acres (810 ha), by the 10th more than 9,000 acres (3,600 ha), and by August 12, the fire had burned more than 15,000 acres (6,100 ha). On August 13, a Type 1 incident management team took control of the suppression effort and began to perform [firing operations](/source/Controlled_burn) to contain the fire indirectly.[3]: 16 Meanwhile, a spot fire was detected just four miles (6.4 km) south of [Old Station](/source/Old_Station%2C_California).[6]

The Reading Fire (top) and Chips Fire (bottom) are shown in this [MODIS](/source/MODIS) satellite view on August 13, 2012

Firefighters began conducting burning operations "day and night" to halt the fire's spread.[8] On August 17th the fire's growth was "minimal" and confined to its eastern and southern flanks, remaining four miles (6.4 km) from Old Station. Aircraft continued to drop fire retardant on the eastern edge, aiding ground crews constructing fire lines near Twin Lakes.[9] Firefighters held the containment lines on [Prospect Peak](/source/Prospect_Peak_Fire_Lookout).[3]: 17 By August 18, aided by good weather and water-dropping helicopters, the containment lines on the fire's north and west sides were completed and the fire's overall containment rose to 32 percent.[10] The remaining areas of active fire on the east and southeast sides of the fire were addressed by firefighters constructing containment lines by hand in [designated wilderness areas](/source/National_Wilderness_Preservation_System), helped by less dense fuels—the effects of other wildfires in the two decades prior.[3]: 17

The fire was declared fully contained on August 22.[11][3]: 17 The firefighting effort involved more than 1,200 personnel at its peak, at a total cost of $17 million (equivalent to about $23 million in 2024).[3]: 10–11 The fire was declared controlled on October 23, 2012.[3]: 17 The total burned area was 28,079 acres (11,363 ha). This footprint comprised 16,993 acres (6,877 ha) burned in Lassen Volcanic National Park, 11,071 acres (4,480 ha) burned in the Hat Creek Ranger District of the Lassen National Forest, and 75 acres (30 ha) of private land.[12] Of the 7,041 fires during California's [2012 wildfire season](/source/2012_California_wildfires), which burned a total of 829,224 acres (335,575 ha), the Reading Fire was the seventh largest.[13]

## Effects

There were no fatalities or serious injuries associated with the Reading Fire. According to the National Park Service review of the fire, only two minor firefighter injuries occurred.[3]: 39

The Reading Fire caused the closure of the Lassen Park Highway for 20 days, as well as the closure of about 30 miles (48 km) of trails in and near the park.[14][15] The Pacific Crest Trail closed to hikers between Lower Twin Lake to the south and Old Station to the north (outside the Lassen National Forest).[16] The park itself did not close to visitors.[17]

No structures were lost in the Reading Fire.[3]: 3 The fire burned through multiple trails in Lassen Volcanic National Park, including the Twin Lakes Loop Trail, the Nobles [Emigrant Trail](/source/Emigrant_Trail), and parts of the [Pacific Crest Trail](/source/Pacific_Crest_Trail).[18]

### Environmental impacts

The effects of the Reading Fire from the main park road, north of [Summit Lake](/source/Summit_Lake_(Reading_Peak%2C_Shasta_County)), on August 22, 2012

Of the roughly 11,000 acres (4,500 ha) that the fire burned in the Lassen National Forest, 65 percent experienced a moderate-to-high soil burn severity. The other 35 percent experienced low to very low soil burn severity. For the roughly 17,000 acres (6,900 ha) that the Reading Fire burned in Lassen Volcanic National Park, 49 percent experienced a moderate-to-high soil burn severity and 51 percent low to unburned soil burn severity.[12]

A preliminary report found that 30 percent of the fire's footprint recorded a moderate vegetation burn severity, and 35 percent recorded a high vegetation burn severity.[19] Park staff reported that "pretty good regeneration" had already begun in the predicted areas by June of 2013.[20]

### Political response

Following a request by members of the Shasta County [board of supervisors](/source/Board_of_supervisors), U.S. Congressional representatives [Wally Herger](/source/Wally_Herger) ([CA-02](/source/CA-02)) and [Tom McClintock](/source/Tom_McClintock) ([CA-04](/source/CA-04)) called an informal hearing at the [California State Capitol](/source/California_State_Capitol) in [Sacramento](/source/Sacramento%2C_California) on October 24, 2012, inviting testimony from the Park Service, the Forest Service, and the [California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection](/source/California_Department_of_Forestry_and_Fire_Protection) (Cal Fire). Both representatives heavily criticized the Park Service for their decision to manage the fire. The director of fire and aviation management for the Pacific Southwest Region of the Forest Service and the deputy director of Cal Fire both said they would have extinguished the fire immediately had it ignited in their areas of responsibility. Shasta County residents also spoke at the hearing, largely to air their view that the Reading Fire had negatively impacted tourism income.[15][18][21]

The following summer, Lassen Volcanic National Park officials announced they would not manage natural lightning fires or set any [prescribed fires](/source/Prescribed_fires) in the park for the season, citing drought conditions and "lessons learned from the previous year’s Reading Fire".[22]

## Growth and containment

Fire containment status Gray: contained; Red: active; %: percent contained Date Total area burned Personnel Containment Jul 23 <1 acre (<1 ha) ... ... Jul 24 <1 acre (<1 ha) ... ... Jul 25 <1 acre (<1 ha) ... ... Jul 26 <1 acre (<1 ha) ... ... Jul 27 <1 acre (<1 ha) ... ... Jul 28[3]: 45 <1 acre (<1 ha) ... ... Jul 29 <1 acre (<1 ha) ... ... Jul 30[3]: 45 3.3 acres (1 ha) ... ... Jul 31[3]: 46 5.1 acres (2 ha) ... ... Aug 1[3]: 46 24 acres (10 ha) ... ... Aug 2[3]: 46 44 acres (18 ha) ... ... Aug 3[3]: 47 50 acres (20 ha) ... ... Aug 4[3]: 47 94 acres (38 ha) ... ... Aug 5[3]: 48 140 acres (57 ha) ... ... Aug 6[3]: 15 1,010 acres (409 ha) ... ... Aug 7[23] 1,400 acres (567 ha) 300 personnel 10% Aug 8[16] 2,000 acres (809 ha) 331 personnel 5% Aug 9[7] 3,700 acres (1,497 ha) 492 personnel 5% Aug 10[24] 9,063 acres (3,668 ha) ... 5% Aug 11 ... ... ... Aug 12[3]: 16 15,491 acres (6,269 ha) ... ... Aug 13[25] >20,600 acres (8,337 ha) 1,218 personnel 10% Aug 14[8] 23,958 acres (9,695 ha) ... 15% Aug 15[26] 23,958 acres (9,695 ha) 1,191 personnel 23% Aug 16[17] 25,242 acres (10,215 ha) 1,083 personnel 28% Aug 17[9] 27,777 acres (11,241 ha) 994 personnel 32% Aug 18[10] 27,777 acres (11,241 ha) 933 personnel 32% Aug 19 ... ... ... Aug 20 ... ... ... Aug 21[27] 27,887 acres (11,285 ha) ... 79% Aug 22[3]: 17 28,079 acres (11,363 ha) ... 100%

## See also

- [Glossary of wildfire terms](/source/Glossary_of_wildfire_terms)

- [List of California wildfires](/source/List_of_California_wildfires)

- [2012 California wildfires](/source/2012_California_wildfires)

- [Cerro Grande Fire](/source/Cerro_Grande_Fire)

- [Dixie Fire](/source/Dixie_Fire)

- [Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire](/source/Calf_Canyon%2FHermits_Peak_Fire)

## References

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1. **[^](#cite_ref-22)** ["Lassen Volcanic National Park will not use burn management"](https://www.chicoer.com/2013/06/17/lassen-volcanic-national-park-will-not-use-burn-management/). *[Chico Enterprise-Record](/source/Chico_Enterprise-Record)*. June 17, 2013. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240301181642/https://www.chicoer.com/2013/06/17/lassen-volcanic-national-park-will-not-use-burn-management/) from the original on March 1, 2024. Retrieved March 1, 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-23)** ["Wildfire closes main road in Lassen National Park"](https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/wildfire-closes-main-road-in-lassen-national-park/). *[The Press Democrat](/source/The_Press_Democrat)*. [Associated Press](/source/Associated_Press). August 7, 2012. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240229213515/https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/wildfire-closes-main-road-in-lassen-national-park/) from the original on February 29, 2024. Retrieved February 29, 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-24)** ["Two-week-old fire in Lassen Park continues to grow"](https://www.chicoer.com/2012/08/11/two-week-old-fire-in-lassen-park-continues-to-grow/). *[Chico Enterprise-Record](/source/Chico_Enterprise-Record)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240301172157/https://www.chicoer.com/2012/08/11/two-week-old-fire-in-lassen-park-continues-to-grow/) from the original on March 1, 2024. Retrieved March 1, 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-25)** ["Lassen fire erupts to more than 20,600 acres"](https://www.thereporter.com/2012/08/13/lassen-fire-erupts-to-more-than-20600-acres-2/). *[The Reporter (Vacaville)](/source/The_Reporter_(Vacaville))*. August 13, 2012. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240229212726/https://www.thereporter.com/2012/08/13/lassen-fire-erupts-to-more-than-20600-acres-2/) from the original on February 29, 2024. Retrieved February 29, 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-26)** ["Lassen Park fire steady; Clear Lake 70 percent contained"](https://www.dailydemocrat.com/2012/08/15/lassen-park-fire-steady-clear-lake-70-percent-contained/). *[Daily Democrat](/source/Daily_Democrat)*. California, United States. August 15, 2012. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240229215210/https://www.dailydemocrat.com/2012/08/15/lassen-park-fire-steady-clear-lake-70-percent-contained/) from the original on February 29, 2024. Retrieved February 29, 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-27)** Watson, Mike (August 21, 2012). ["Containment Rises on Reading Fire"](https://krcrtv.com/archive/containment-rises-on-reading-fire). *[KRCR-TV](/source/KRCR-TV)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240301165219/https://krcrtv.com/archive/containment-rises-on-reading-fire) from the original on March 1, 2024. Retrieved March 1, 2024.

## External links

- [Wildfire Today (Reading Fire tag)](https://wildfiretoday.com/tag/reading-fire/)

v t e California wildfires Pre-2007 Santiago Canyon (1889) Berkeley (1923) Matilija (1932) Griffith Park (1933) Rattlesnake (1953) Harlow (1961) Bel Air (1961) Loop (1966) Laguna (1970) Clampitt (1970) Marble Cone (1977) Agoura-Malibu (1978) Panorama (1980) 49er (1988) Painted Cave (1990) Tunnel (1991) Fountain (1992) Cleveland (1992) Kinneloa (1993) Laguna (1993) Mount Vision (1995) Pendola (1999) Jones (1999) Storrie (2000) Poe (2001) Wolf (2002) Copper (2002) Biscuit (2002) McNally (2002) Curve (2002) Williams (2002) Old (2003) Simi (2003) Cedar (2003) Power (2004) Rumsey (2004) Topanga (2005) Sawtooth Complex (2006) Day (2006) Esperanza (2006) 2007 Island Angora Zaca Moonlight October 2007 wildfires Buckweed Harris Witch Santiago Rice Corral 2008 Summit Indians Basin Complex Klamath Theater Complex Gap Telegraph Sesnon Tea Sayre Freeway Complex 2009 Jesusita La Brea Lockheed Station Guiberson 2010 Bull West Crown 2011 Lion Comanche Complex 2012 Reading Chips Barry Point Rush Ponderosa 2013 Summit Springs Powerhouse Mountain Silver Rim Clover 2014 Colby Etiwanda May 2014 San Diego County wildfires Tomahawk Poinsettia Cocos Shirley Butts Bully Happy Camp Complex Meadow King Boles 2015 Round Lake North Wragg Rocky Mad River Complex Humboldt Complex Frog Rough Jerusalem Cuesta Butte Valley Tassajara 2016 Sherpa Border San Gabriel Complex Erskine Trailhead Sand Soberanes Cold Pilot Chimney Clayton Blue Cut Rey Bogart Canyon Loma 2017 Gate Holcomb Schaeffer Salmon August Complex Manzanita Winters Alamo Wall Whittier Garza Detwiler Empire Parker 2 Young Pier Railroad Ponderosa Mud Slinkard Helena La Tuna Palmer Mission October 2017 Northern California wildfires Atlas Tubbs Canyon 2 December 2017 Southern California wildfires Thomas Creek Rye Skirball Lilac 2018 Lions Lane Pawnee Waverly County Klamathon Valley Georges Ferguson Natchez Carr Cranston Mendocino Complex Whaleback Donnell Holy Hirz Delta Camp Woolsey 2019 Sand West Butte Tucker Mountain Tenaja Walker Taboose Lime Red Bank South Lone Sandalwood Saddleridge Nustar Kincade Tick Getty Easy Maria 2020 Quail Grant Crews Soledad Mineral 2020 Lassen County wildfires Gold Loyalton Red Salmon Complex Apple August 2020 lightning wildfires Lake Dome River CZU Lightning Complex SCU Lightning Complex August Complex LNU Lightning Complex North Complex SQF Complex Dolan Creek El Dorado Bobcat Slater/Devil Oak Glass Zogg Silverado Mountain View Bond 2021 Palisades Willow Lava Tennant Salt Beckwourth Complex Tamarack Dixie McFarland Monument River Complex McCash Antelope River Caldor French KNP Complex Windy Fawn 2022 Colorado Electra Washburn Oak McKinney Red Route Border 32 Mill Fairview Mosquito SRF Lightning Complex 2023 Rabbit Deep Pika York 2024 Corral Lake Post Point Thompson SQF Lightning Complex Borel Basin Park Nixon Pedro Boise Coffee Pot Line Bridge Airport Horseshoe Mountain Franklin 2025 January 2025 Southern California wildfires Palisades Eaton Madre Orleans Complex Gifford Canyon Pickett Little TCU September Pack 2026 Sandy Fire Santa Rosa Island Fire Category

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Reading Fire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_Fire) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_Fire?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.