Research Paper

● There was a sharp increase in California fire damage in 2017, 2018, and 2020 (extreme fires years, or EFY) compared to other years.
● The jump in the number of structures destroyed was especially significant. In 2018, fires destroyed 24 times more buildings than in an average non-EFY.
● These anomalies cannot be attributed to natural causes with regular human activity.
● Thus, the damage resulted from well-organized malicious activity aimed at igniting and spreading fires in California.

Abstract

This paper analyzes official statistical data on California wildfires and their consequences as the area burnt and structures destroyed for the 32 full years, 1993-2024.

2017, 2018, and 2020 stand out as California Extreme Fire Years (EFY). 2018 was the most severe one. Fires destroyed 22,868 structures, 24 times the average. In 2017 and 2020, fires destroyed 10,868 and 11,116 structures, 11.5 times the average. The average non-EFY destroyed structures over that period was 959.

This paper shows that this cannot be explained by natural factors or statistical variability. The only explanation is in organized malicious activity, possibly in response to the election of Donald Trump in 2016 and/or to prevent his re-election in 2020.