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Lightning Complex Wildfires Destroy Historic California Town

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In September 2025, lightning strikes caused "at least 22 distinct wildfires" in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Southern California, consuming over 13,000 acres of property in the region.

Historically significant buildings in Chinese Camp near Modesto, standing since the Gold Rush era, were destroyed in the blaze.

What made Chinese Camp notable?

And how did the fires start so quickly and spread?

Read on to find out.

What is Chinese Camp in Southern California?

Chinese Camp is a census-designated place (CDP), which is defined as a "statistical geography representing closely settled, unincorporated communities that are locally recognized and identified by name."

Unlike towns and cities, the boundaries of CDPs have no legal status and are used primarily by the US Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.

At the time of the last published US Census in 2020, Chinese Camp's population was a mere 90 people, but during the California Gold Rush from 1849-1882, the camp was home to an estimated 5,000 Chinese immigrants — a significant proportion of the population then living in the state.

Chinese Camp was the site of the first tong war in CA, fought by the Sam Yap and Yan Woo tongs.

It's also home to the Xavier Roman Catholic Church, the oldest church in Tuolumne County. The Church has not held services since the 1920s but it did make an appearance in High Noon, the famous Oscar-winning 1952 Western starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly.

Today, the remnants of Chinese Camp are located close to Columbia State Historic Park, which preserves the downtown of a Gold Rush era town about two to three hour drive from Oakland.

Chinese Camp is not part of the park itself and has its own designation as California Historical Landmark #423.

(Source: Cal Fire)

How Did the 2025 Chinese Camp Fire Start and How Bad Was the Damage?

According to CalFire, the lightning-sparked wildfires that destroyed much of Chinese Camp started September 2, 2025.

The fire continued burning until being fully contained on September 13th, although over 50% of the fires were out by September 7th.

It wasn't a single wildfire that caused widespread damage and destruction to over 13,000 acres across Calaveras, Tuolumne, San Joaquin, and Stanislaus counties.

Instead, it was a complex of 22 distinct fires caused by 16,761 lightning strikes hitting the area.

The fires ranged in size from a few acres to the largest that burned over 6,000 acres, leading to evacuation orders in the area.

It was that wildfire, named the 6-5, that burned down multiple buildings in Chinese Camp, which The New York Times calls "an important center of early Chinese American life… that helped link small Chinatowns and multicultural mining towns scattered throughout the Sierra Nevada foothills."

(Source: CalFire)

All told, the combined fires destroyed 95 structures, damaged seven, and injured one firefighter.

Fortunately, no fatalities were reported.

Collectively, the cluster of fires that caused all that damage is known as the Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit (TCU).

(Source: CalFire)

What was the TCU September Lightning Complex?

The cluster of 22 lightning-ignited wildfires in California's Mother Lode region, including the one that consumed much of Chinese Camp, are collectively named the Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit (TCU) September Lightning Complex.

The Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit is the name of the CalFire department responsible for containing and extinguishing the blaze.

What is a Lightning Complex Fire?

According to the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) a wildfire complex is "Two or more distinct incidents in the same general area that, by management action, are managed under a single incident commander or unified command in order to improve efficiency and simplify incident management processes."

Lightning complex is a logistical term used by agencies like CalFire and the National Forest Service (NFS), it is not a meteorological event.

A lightning complex fire is two or more wildfires sparked by lightning that are the responsibility of a single organizational unit, such as the CalFire Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit that managed the TCU September Lightning Complex Fires.

According to CalFire, the "Tuolumne Calaveras Unit (TCU) protects over 1 million acres of State Responsibility Area in Calaveras, Eastern San Joaquin, Eastern Stanislaus and Tuolumne Counties."

Lightning complex fires are fairly common in California, particularly during July, August and September when the landscape is particularly vulnerable to dry lightning storms, which have little or no rain.

Dry lightning has been responsible for some of the largest fire complexes in CA history.

The 2020 August Lightning Siege ignited three devastating lightning complex fires simultaneously, the CZU, LNU, and SCU wildfires.

CZU Lightning Complex: ~86,509 acres burned
LNU Lightning Complex: ~363,220 acres burned; 1,491 structures destroyed + 232 damaged
SCU Lightning Complex: ~396,624 acres burned; 222 structures destroyed

Recent research shows that lightning is likely to spark more wildfires in the Western US in coming decades, thanks at least in part to climate change.

(Source: CalFire)

Is Lightning a Major Cause of Wildfires in California?

Yes, though not as common a cause as you might think.

According to reputable sources,^[1] here are the top causes of wildfires in CA.

Human-Caused Ignitions

Equipment use, vehicles, debris burning, fallen power lines, arson, and other human-caused ignitions were responsible for approximately 86% of wildfires from 1992-2020.

Natural Causes

Lightning and other natural phenomena were responsible for 14% or less of wildfires over the same period.

Palisades Park Fire Damage Assessment

(Source: CalFire)

The Palisades Park Fire, one of the worst fires in Los Angeles history, destroyed almost 7,000 buildings and killed at least 12 people.

Federal authorities have charged an individual with destruction of property by fire for allegedly starting the blaze.

Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement, "A single person's recklessness caused one of the worst fires Los Angeles has ever seen."

Final Thoughts

Lightning complex wildfires can be devastating to human life and property.

The partial destruction of Chinese Camp shows they can also erase important historical artifacts in minutes.

However, human-made ignition causes far more wildfires than lightning, whether caused by negligence or arson.

The best thing you can do to prevent wildfires is to follow advisories and guidelines designed to stop them from starting in the first place — especially during wildfire season.

And be prepared for natural disasters, wildfires, and extreme weather events.