In 2018, California's wildfires affected an area of 153,336 acres and destroyed 18,804 structures, with most of the damage occurring within the first four hours. The community of Concow and the town of Paradise were destroyed within the first six hours of the fire, losing an estimated 95 percent of their buildings. In fact, an estimated 104 commercial structures were damaged while 514 were marked as completely destroyed.

While California is known for its beauty, sunshine, and laid-back mentality of its residents, the state is also notorious for dry, windy, and hot weather conditions from spring throughout the late autumn that can produce such devastating wildfires.