33+ Natural Causes Of Wildfires In California US. Most of california is in a mediterranean climate zone, characterized by virtually zero rainfall for half the year. California's forests and shrublands have been subjected to wildfire pretty much forever;
.where natural events like lightning strikes are prime sources of wildfires, in southern california, such fires are almost always started by people.
The winds themselves can initiate a fire by downing power lines, something suspected in the fires that affected northern california in october. The southern california wildfires spreading through ventura and los angeles counties are among the devastating wildfires residential communities have seen in the decades since developers have expanded further and further onto land prone to natural disaster. In 2019, wildfires caused an estimated $4.5 billion in damages in california and alaska. California, located on the west coast of the united states, is it is the weather conditions in california that are often to blame for the wildfires that erupt in the state.