Camp Fire was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history . It is also the deadliest wildfire in the United States since the Cloquet fire in 1918 and is high on the list of the world 's deadliest wildfires ; it is the sixth-deadliest U.S. wildfire overall . It was one of the world 's costliest natural disasters in 2018 . Named after Camp Creek Road , its place of origin , the fire started on November 8 , 2018 , in Butte County , in Northern California . After exhibiting extreme fire spread , fireline intensity , and spotting behaviors through the wilderness community of Concow , an urban firestorm formed in the densely populated foothill town of Paradise . The fire caused at least 85 civilian fatalities , with two people still missing , and injured 12 civilians , two prison inmate firefighters , and three other firefighters . It covered an area of ( almost 240 sq. miles ) , and destroyed 18,804 structures , with most of the damage occurring within the first four hours . Total damage was $ 16.5 billion ; one-quarter of the damage , $ 4 billion , was not insured . With the arrival of the first winter rainstorm of the season , the fire reached 100 percent containment after seventeen days on November 25 , 2018
Cloquet fire
Cloquet fire
Camp Fire (2018)