October 2007 California wildfires , also known as the Fall 2007 California firestorm , were a series of about thirty wildfires ( 17 of which became major wildfires ) that began igniting across Southern California on October 20 . At least 1,500 homes were destroyed and approximately 972,147 acres ( about 3,934 km2 , or 1,520 mi2 ) of land was burned from Santa Barbara County to the U.S. – Mexico border , surpassing the October 2003 California wildfires in scope , which were estimated to have burned . The wildfires killed a total of 14 people , with nine of them dying directly from the fires ; 160 others were injured , including at least 124 firefighters . At their height , the raging fires were visible from space . These fires included the vast majority of the largest and deadliest wildfires of the 2007 California wildfire season . The only wildfire in 2007 that surpassed any of the individual October 2007 fires in size was the Zaca Fire
2007 California wildfire season
2007 California wildfires
October 2007 California wildfires