Updated Oct 6, 2020 - Science

August Complex Fire burns 1 million acres in California

Rebecca Falconer

Maxar satellite imagery of the August Complex Fire near Big Signal Peak. — Satellite imagery of the August Complex Fire near Big Signal Peak in Mendocino National Forest, California. Photo: Maxar Technologies via Getty Images

A massive wildfire in the Coast Range of California, between San Francisco and the Oregon border, has burned over 1 million acres, Cal Fire said on Monday.

The big picture: The August Complex Fire, which merged from 37 different wildfires in the Mendocino National Forest, has killed one person and destroyed 159 structures as it burned across 1,002,097 acres, per Cal Fire. It was at 54% containment as of Monday.

What they're saying: Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) noted that the August Complex blaze is bigger than every wildfire recorded in California between 1932 and 1999, per AP.

"If that's not proof point, testament, to climate change, then I don’t know what is," he said.

Of note: Cal Fire announced Sunday that wildfires have burned "well over 4 million acres" across California in this record-breaking year.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with Newsom's comments.

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August Complex Fire burns 1 million acres in California

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