The August Complex (2020) was a California wildfire in Mendocino, Humboldt, Trinity, Tehama, Glenn, Lake & Colusa Counties, with 1,032,648 acres, 935 structures destroyed, 1 death on the public record. Its cause is recorded as confirmed. Litigation filed. Status as of October 2, 2026, per U.S. Court of Federal Claims.
The August Complex burned 1,032,648 acres across seven counties of Northern California in 2020. It is first on CAL FIRE's list of the largest California wildfires and the only fire on that list above one million acres.
It was started by lightning: 37 separate fires in the Mendocino National Forest that grew together. The fire was managed by the Forest Service, with CAL FIRE running a western zone.
That is where the litigation comes from. With no utility or person to blame for the ignition, the claims on record are by private landowners against the United States, in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, arguing that Forest Service firefighting decisions amounted to a taking of their property.
One was dismissed. In No. 22-584L, owners of private land inside the Six Rivers National Forest sought $2,438,670, alleging the Forest Service deferred full suppression of the August Complex. The court dismissed the complaint on January 31, 2023 for failure to state a claim.
A second is still open. In No. 22-1201 L, a landowner alleges that Forest Service backfires spread to his property at Kettenpom in September 2020. On October 8, 2024 the court dismissed part of the case and allowed the backfire claim to proceed. That opinion does not name the fire; it describes a complex fire formed from fires that started in August 2020, and Kettenpom is among the communities CAL FIRE lists as threatened by the August Complex.
CAL FIRE's own structure counts for this fire differ widely: 935 on its Top 20 list, 54 in its 2020 Fire Siege report and 89 in its annual statistics.
Fire facts
From public records; unknown values are shown, never guessed.
| Year | 2020 |
|---|---|
| Start date | 2020-08-16 |
| Containment date | 2020-11-11 |
| Region / counties | Mendocino, Humboldt, Trinity, Tehama, Glenn, Lake, Colusa |
| Acreage | 1,032,648 |
| Structures destroyed | 935 |
| Structures damaged | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 1 |
| Cause status | confirmed |
| Officially determined arson | No / not determined |
| Last verified | 2026-10-02 |
Cause
Lightning. The U.S. Forest Service and CAL FIRE both list lightning as the cause. The Forest Service described the August Complex as initially 37 different fires on the Mendocino National Forest, and said the fires within it ignited on August 16 and 17, 2020. They merged over the following weeks into the largest wildfire in California's recorded history. No person, company or utility has been named as responsible for starting it.
What happened
The fires ignited on August 16 and 17, 2020 in the Mendocino National Forest and spread into the Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers national forests. CAL FIRE's 2020 Fire Siege report says the complex burned for more than two months and threatened Willits, Covelo, Potter Valley, Mina, Kettenpom, Zenia, Ruth, Hettenshaw Valley and Lake Pillsbury, among other communities. A firefighter was killed on August 31, 2020 in a vehicle accident while working on the Tatham Fire within the complex, and a second firefighter was burned. The Forest Service reported the complex contained on November 11, 2020 at 1,032,648 acres.
August Complex timeline
Each entry is dated and links to the public source it comes from.
Lightning starts the fires of the August Complex on August 16 and 17 in the Mendocino National Forest.
Source: U.S. Forest Service, Mendocino National Forest, archived copy
Federal major disaster DR-4558-CA is declared for the California wildfires.
Source: FEMA
A firefighter is killed and another is burned in a vehicle accident on the Tatham Fire within the complex.
Source: U.S. Forest Service, Mendocino National Forest, archived copy
The August Complex passes one million acres.
Source: Los Angeles Times
Trinity County is added to the federal declaration for Individual Assistance.
Source: FEMA, Federal Register
The complex is contained at 1,032,648 acres.
Source: U.S. Forest Service, Mendocino National Forest, archived copy
Mendocino County is added to the federal declaration for Individual Assistance.
Source: FEMA, Federal Register
The Court of Federal Claims dismisses a landowners' takings case over the fire, No. 22-584L.
Source: U.S. Court of Federal Claims
The Court of Federal Claims lets a second landowner's backfire claim proceed in part, No. 22-1201 L.
Source: U.S. Court of Federal Claims
Litigation status
Litigation filed. Status as of October 2, 2026, per U.S. Court of Federal Claims.
Two cases against the United States are on the public record, both in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and both brought by private landowners representing themselves under the takings clause of the Fifth Amendment. In No. 22-584L, filed May 25, 2022, the plaintiffs alleged that the Forest Service, while managing the August Complex Fire, deferred full suppression strategies and that the fire spread from the national forest to their land on or about September 8, 2020. They sought $2,438,670. In an order filed January 31, 2023 the court granted the government's motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim and directed entry of judgment for the government. In No. 22-1201 L, filed September 1, 2022, the plaintiff alleges that fire burned homes, buildings, equipment and timber at Kettenpom in September 2020 after the Forest Service set backfires on a windy day. In an opinion filed October 8, 2024 the court granted the government's motion to dismiss in part and denied it in part. The court's docket showed further filings through August 26, 2026, and we found no judgment or settlement. These are allegations; no court has found the government liable. We found no Federal Tort Claims Act suit, no suit by a timber company, no cost recovery action and no suit over the firefighter's death, in searches of federal court records on CourtListener and govinfo and of news archives. County superior court records and administrative claims filed with the agency were not searched.
A filed case is not a finding against anyone, and a dismissal of one case says nothing about another. This entry reports only what the public record shows as of the status date, and nothing here describes any individual situation.
Court & regulatory record
- Opinion and order granting in part and denying in part the motion to dismiss (filed October 8, 2024) , U.S. Court of Federal Claims (Case 22-1201 L)
- Order granting the motion to dismiss (filed January 31, 2023) , U.S. Court of Federal Claims (Case 22-584L)
- Forest Service officials confirm one fatality, one injury on August Complex (September 1, 2020), archived copy , U.S. Forest Service, Mendocino National Forest
- August Complex incident page, final update, archived copy , U.S. Forest Service, InciWeb
- 2020 Fire Siege report , CAL FIRE
This is a reported public-record status, not advice about any individual’s legal situation. Deadlines and eligibility change over time and depend on facts specific to each person. If you have questions about yours, contact us and we will help.
Key figures on the public record
Each figure below was published by the court, agency, or company named beside it, on the date shown. These describe the case and the disaster, not any individual’s situation.
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Acres burned | 1,032,648 | U.S. Forest Service, November 11, 2020 |
| Rank among largest California wildfires | 1st | CAL FIRE, October 2, 2024 |
| Structures destroyed, Top 20 list | 935 | CAL FIRE, October 2, 2024 |
| Structures destroyed, 2020 Fire Siege report | 54 | CAL FIRE, December 31, 2020 |
| Deaths | 1 firefighter | U.S. Forest Service, September 1, 2020 |
| Separate fires at the start | 37 | U.S. Forest Service, August 31, 2020 |
| Damages sought in the dismissed takings case | $2,438,670 | U.S. Court of Federal Claims, January 31, 2023 |
In the news
Independent news coverage related to the August Complex. Each link opens the original public reporting.
- Aug 18, 2025Five years since the August Complex: Looking back at the start of California's largest wildfire in modern historyKCRA
- Oct 5, 2020August Complex is first California fire to hit 1 million acresSan Francisco Chronicle
- Oct 5, 2020August Complex fire burns record-breaking 1 million acresLos Angeles Times
- Sep 24, 2020California wildfire threatening lucrative cannabis farm areaAssociated Press
- Sep 15, 2020California blaze threatens 'Emerald Triangle' marijuana zoneAssociated Press, via KCRA
- Sep 14, 2020August Complex Fire threatens Emerald TriangleSFGate
- Sep 10, 2020California's new largest-ever wildfire: North Coast's August Complex shatters record set two years agoSan Francisco Chronicle
- Sep 1, 2020Firefighter killed, another injured while battling Mendocino County wildfireKCRA
Common questions about the August Complex
What caused the August Complex?
Lightning. The U.S. Forest Service and CAL FIRE both list lightning as the cause. The Forest Service described the August Complex as initially 37 different fires on the Mendocino National Forest, and said the fires within it ignited on August 16 and 17, 2020. They merged over the following weeks into the largest wildfire in California's recorded history. No person, company or utility has been named as responsible for starting it.
Is there litigation over the August Complex?
Litigation filed. Status as of October 2, 2026, per U.S. Court of Federal Claims.
What areas did the August Complex affect?
The August Complex (Mendocino, Humboldt, Trinity, Tehama, Glenn, Lake & Colusa Counties) affected communities including Covelo, Ruth, Zenia, Kettenpom, Lake Pillsbury, Forest Glen.
How large was the August Complex?
1,032,648 acres, 935 structures destroyed, 1 fatality, per public records as of 2026-10-02.
What caused the August Complex fire?
Lightning. The U.S. Forest Service and CAL FIRE list lightning as the cause of the 2020 August Complex in Northern California. It began as 37 separate fires in the Mendocino National Forest that ignited on August 16 and 17, 2020 and merged.
How big was the August Complex?
The 2020 August Complex burned 1,032,648 acres in Mendocino, Humboldt, Trinity, Tehama, Glenn, Lake and Colusa counties, California. It is the largest wildfire on CAL FIRE's list and the only one above one million acres. It was contained on November 11, 2020.
Is there an August Complex lawsuit?
Yes. Two landowner cases against the United States over Forest Service firefighting decisions were filed in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in 2022. No. 22-584L was dismissed on January 31, 2023. In No. 22-1201 L, the court allowed a claim about backfires to proceed in part on October 8, 2024, and we found no judgment as of October 2, 2026.
Did anyone die in the August Complex?
One firefighter died in the 2020 August Complex. The U.S. Forest Service confirmed that a firefighter was killed in a vehicle accident on August 31, 2020 while working on the Tatham Fire within the complex, and that a second firefighter was burned.
How many structures did the August Complex destroy?
CAL FIRE publishes different counts for the 2020 August Complex: 935 structures destroyed on its Top 20 Largest list, 54 in its 2020 Fire Siege report and 89 in its annual statistics.
Sources
- August Complex incident page, archived copy, U.S. Forest Service, InciWeb
- Forest Service release giving the ignition and containment dates, archived copy, U.S. Forest Service, Mendocino National Forest
- Forest Service officials confirm one fatality, one injury on August Complex, archived copy, U.S. Forest Service, Mendocino National Forest
- August Complex incident record, CAL FIRE
- 2020 Fire Siege report, CAL FIRE
- Top 20 Largest California Wildfires and annual statistics, linked from CAL FIRE Statistics, CAL FIRE
- Order, No. 22-584L, U.S. Court of Federal Claims
- Opinion and order, No. 22-1201 L, U.S. Court of Federal Claims
- Disaster declaration DR-4558-CA, FEMA
Facts on this page are drawn from the public sources listed above and rewritten in original words. See Sources & Methodology.