Tubbs Fire (2017)
Napa & Sonoma Counties (Santa Rosa), California · Oct 8, 2017 – Oct 31, 2017
Most destructive California wildfire until the 2018 Camp FireAcres burned
36,807
Lives lost
22
Structures destroyed
5,636
Year
2017
Duration
~3 weeks
Evacuations
~100,000 people evacuated across the 2017 North Bay firestorm
What happened
The Tubbs Fire raced into Santa Rosa overnight in October 2017, destroying entire neighborhoods including Coffey Park. It was the most destructive wildfire in California history until the Camp Fire a year later.
Cause
Private electrical equipment
Location
Napa & Sonoma Counties (Santa Rosa), California
Key facts
- ▪Destroyed the Coffey Park neighborhood in Santa Rosa
- ▪22 deaths
- ▪Most destructive CA fire until the 2018 Camp Fire
- ▪Part of the 2017 Northern California firestorm
Replay the Tubbs Fire in the spread simulator
This centers the wildfire-spread simulator on the Tubbs Fire’s documented ignition point and replays its conditions on 2017-10-08 — the day’s strongest wind, temperature, and humidity from the open-meteo historical archive (which set the fire-day fuel moisture) — run through the same Rothermel surface-fire model used across FireRisk. Press ▶ Simulate to watch how fire tends to move under those conditions.
⚠️ Educational reconstruction — not the real fire perimeter
This is a simplified model of how fire spreads under the 2017 conditions, not the Tubbs Fire’s actual burned area, official progression, or a prediction of any current fire. It cannot account for real fuels, suppression, spotting, or how conditions changed hour to hour. For real-time fire information always follow Watch Duty, official agencies, and local authorities — and call 911 in an emergency.
Loading the 2017 fire-day conditions…
Reminder: an educational reconstruction of fire spread under the 2017 conditions — not the Tubbs Fire’s actual perimeter, an official record, or a forecast. Modeled spread, direction, and timing are illustrative only. Never rely on it for any safety decision.
Aftermath & what changed
The Tubbs Fire proved a wind-driven fire could destroy a built-out suburban neighborhood (Coffey Park) far from the wildland edge, foreshadowing the Camp and 2025 LA fires and accelerating California’s insurance crisis.
Could your home survive a fire like the Tubbs Fire?
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Related major fires
Tubbs Fire FAQ
When was the Tubbs Fire and where did it burn?
The Tubbs Fire started Oct 8, 2017 in Napa & Sonoma Counties (Santa Rosa), California, and was contained Oct 31, 2017.
How many acres did the Tubbs Fire burn?
The Tubbs Fire burned approximately 36,807 acres.
How many people died in the Tubbs Fire?
Approximately 22 people died in the Tubbs Fire.
What caused the Tubbs Fire?
Private electrical equipment.
Figures are approximate and compiled from official agency reporting; totals for recent fires may still be revised. FireRisk.ai is an independent wildfire-risk service.