{{Short description|2019 wildfire in Northern California}} {{Use American English|date=May 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}} {{Infobox wildfire | title = Tucker Fire |partof=the [[2019 California wildfires]] | caption = | image = 2019 Modoc County Tucker Fire.jpg | location = [[Clear Lake National Wildlife Refuge]],<br>[[Modoc County, California|Modoc County]],<br>[[California]] | coordinates = {{coord|41.726|-121.243|display=inline,title}} | pushpin_map = California | pushpin_map_caption = Location in California | cost = | date = {{Unbulleted list|{{Start date|2019|07|28}} – |{{End date|2019|08|15}}}} | area = {{convert|14,217|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} | cause = Human Caused | buildings = | injuries = | perps = | motive = | reference =<ref name=InciWeb>{{cite web|title=Tucker Fire|url=https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6470/|type=Incident Information|website=InciWeb|publisher=U.S. Forest Service|access-date=31 July 2019}}</ref> }}
The '''Tucker Fire''' was a [[wildfire]] that burned near [[Clear Lake National Wildlife Refuge]] in [[Modoc County, California]] in the United States.<ref name="Direct- Tucker Fire'">{{cite web|last1=Meyers|first1=Talya|title=Tucker Fire Ignites as California's First Major Blaze of 2019|url=https://www.directrelief.org/2019/07/the-tucker-fire-is-californias-first-major-blaze-so-far-this-year/|work=[[Direct Relief]]|access-date=3 July 2014}}</ref> The fire ignited on Sunday, July 28, 2019 along Highway 139 and went on to burn an estimated 14,217 acres of land.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6470/|title=Tucker Fire|date=July 28, 2019|website=Inciweb|access-date=August 12, 2019}}</ref> As of August 15, the fire was 95% contained. Officials say the wildfire was caused by traffic on Highway 139.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://krcrtv.com/news/local/the-tucker-fire-californias-largest-wildfire-this-year-is-95-percent-contained|title=The Tucker Fire, California's largest wildfire this year, is 95 percent contained|last=Mackey|first=Meaghan|date=August 4, 2019|website=KRCR NEWS|access-date=August 4, 2019}}</ref>
==Progression== The Tucker fire ignited on Sunday, July 28, along Tucker Butte Road, east of [[California State Route 139]] near the Perez Overpass and immediately grew to over {{convert|2,000|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} of land its first several hours of burning.<ref name="KCRA Burns 2,461">{{cite web|last1=Robinson|first1=Adam|title=Tucker Fire in Modoc County burns 2,461 acres|url=https://krcrtv.com/news/local/tucker-fire-in-modoc-county-burns-2000-acres|work=[[KCRA-TV|KCRA News]]|date=29 July 2019 |access-date=29 July 2019}}</ref> Throughout its run, the fire did not impact any structures of note however did directly impact large transmission lines within the fire area.<ref name="KCRA Burns 2,461"/>
Early Monday, July 29, the fire had grown to an estimated {{convert|2,461|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}}. Later that day, the fire spotted outside of control lines and proceeded to balloon in size to over {{convert|11,000|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} throughout that afternoon due to warm and dry weather conditions, burning predominantly northeast towards [[Clear Lake Reservoir]].<ref name="Tucker Fire Explodes">{{cite web|last1=Gailey|first1=Brian|title=Tucker Fire explodes to 11,000 acres|url=https://www.klamathfallsnews.org/news/tucker-fire-explodes-to-11000-acres|work=[[Herald and News|Klamath Falls News]]|date=29 July 2019 |access-date=30 July 2019}}</ref> During that time, residents along County Road 114/202, Coyote Butte and the Horse Mountain areas were put under a fire warning, but not under any evacuation warning.<ref name="Tucker Fire Explodes"/> At the time, the Tucker Fire was regarded as the largest blaze to burn on National Forest Land during the 2019 fire season as the blaze had grown to upwards of {{convert|12,973|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} in what had been regarded as an unusually inactive fire season for the state.<ref name="KTLA Tucker">{{cite web|last1=Times|first1=Los Angeles|title=Tucker Fire in NorCal Explodes to 13,000 Acres, Becomes Largest Blaze on National Forest Lands in the State This Year|url=https://ktla.com/2019/07/30/tucker-fire-in-norcal-explodes-to-13000-acres-becomes-largest-blaze-on-national-forest-lands-in-the-state-this-year/|work=[[KTLA|KTLA 5 NEWS]]|date=30 July 2019 |access-date=30 July 2019}}</ref><ref name="SFGATE 26 Times Less--Why?">{{cite web|last1=Costley|first1=Drew|title=California is burning 26 times less than it did in 2018. Why?|url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/california-wildfires-26-times-less-cal-fire-camp-14302351.php|work=[[San Francisco Chronicle|SFGATE]]|date=August 15, 2019 |access-date=15 August 2019}}</ref> Late Monday evening, as the blaze made its way to a nature fire break in the Clear Lake Reservoir, fire crews conducted burn-out operations to corral the flare up wherever necessary.<ref name="Reaches Clear Lake">{{cite web|last1=Gailey|first1=Brian|title=Tucker Fire reaches Clear Lake|url=https://www.klamathfallsnews.org/news/tucker-fire-reaches-clear-lake|work=[[Herald and News|Klamath Falls News]]|date=30 July 2019 |access-date=30 July 2019}}</ref> By this time over 500 firefighters where actively engaging the fire.<ref name="Activity Slows">{{cite web|last1=Gailey|first1=Brian|title=Fire activity slows on Tucker Fire [VIDEO]|url=https://www.klamathfallsnews.org/news/fire-activity-slows-on-tucker-fire-video|work=[[Herald and News|Klamath Falls News]]|date=30 July 2019 |access-date=30 July 2019}}</ref>
By Tuesday, July 30, the Tucker Fire had not displayed any erratic behavior as it had the previous two days of burning and was estimated to be {{convert|14,419|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} with at least 10% containment.<ref name="Activity Slows"/> Within the following days, the fires containment would grow to 95% as the estimated acreage would be slightly downgraded to {{convert|14,217|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="95 PERCENT">{{cite web|author=KHSL Staff|title=TUCKER FIRE 95 PERCENT CONTAINED|url=https://www.actionnewsnow.com/content/news/Fire-crews-battling-Tucker-Fire-in-Modoc-National-Forest-513345771.htmlo|work=[[KHSL-TV|ACTION NEWS NOW]]|access-date=3 August 2019}}</ref>
==Cause== The [[United States Forest Service|U.S. Forest Service]] cited that, much like two previous fires in the Modoc County area during the summer fire season, the Tucker fires ignition was directly human-caused, however unintentionally.<ref name="Human-Caused">{{cite web|last1=Staff|first1=InciWeb|title=Human-caused fires keep Modoc firefighters busy|url=https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/6470/49942/|work=[[InciWeb]]|access-date=30 July 2019}}</ref> No further details have been reported on the specifics of the fires ignition as of this time.
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{California wildfires}}
[[Category:2019 California wildfires]] [[Category:July 2019 in the United States]] [[Category:Wildfires in Modoc County, California]]