Rocky Fire
{{Short description|2015 wildfire in Northern California}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2025}}
{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox wildfire
|title = Rocky Fire
|image =California National Guard (19636653083).jpg
|caption = A CH-47 Chinook helicopter of the California Air National Guard performs a water drop on the Rocky Fire
|alt = A helicopter with a bucket of water slung on a rope beneath it approaches a plume of smoke rising above scrubby green and brown hills
|location = {{Unbulleted list|Lake, Colusa, and Yolo counties,|Northern California,|United States}}
|area = {{convert|69438|acre|ha sqmi km2|0}}
|coordinates = {{coord|38.89|-122.476|region:US-CA|display=inline,title}}
|pushpin_map = USA California
|pushpin_map_alt = The Rocky Fire is marked on the map north of the Bay Area in Northern California
|pushpin_map_caption = The general location of the Rocky Fire in Northern California
|date = {{Unbulleted list|{{Start date|29|7}} – |{{End date|2015|8|14}}|({{duration in days|2015|7|29|2015|8|14}} days)}}
|cost={{Unbulleted list|$46.1{{nbsp}}million|(equivalent to about ${{Inflation|US-GDP|46.1|2015|fmt=c|r=1}}{{nbsp}}million in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}})}}|buildings=96 (8 damaged)|evacuated=~13,000|cause=Faulty water heater|image_map=2015 Rocky Fire map.png|image_map_alt=The Rocky Fire footprint is shown in bright orange as an irregular circle, bounded by CA 16 and CA 20 with Clear Lake to the west and Interstate 5 to the east|image_map_caption=The Rocky Fire's footprint east of Clear Lake}}
The Rocky Fire was a large wildfire in Lake, Colusa, and Yolo counties in Northern California in 2015. The fire burned {{convert|69438|acres|ha|abbr=in}} between its ignition on July 29 and its full containment on August 14. Caused by a malfunctioning water heater being used for illegal cannabis cultivation, the fire destroyed 96 structures and was the fifth largest fire of the 2015 fire season in California.
Background
The Rocky Fire burn area largely comprised rough terrain with oak woodlands, grasslands, and chaparral,{{Cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=Julie |last2=Anderson |first2=Glenda |last3=Swindell |first3=Bill |date=July 30, 2015 |title=Rocky Fire grows to 13,500 acres in Lake County |url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/rocky-fire-grows-to-13500-acres-in-lake-county/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323142828/https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/rocky-fire-grows-to-13500-acres-in-lake-county/ |archive-date=March 23, 2024 |access-date=March 23, 2024 |work=The Press Democrat}} and it had no prior wildfire history going back "several decades", according to the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services.{{Cite news |last1=Rubin |first1=Joel |last2=Chirbas |first2=Kurt |last3=St. John |first3=Paige |date=August 2, 2015 |title=Northern California fire explodes; 24 homes lost, thousands threatened |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-northern-california-fire-explodes-24-homes-lost-thousands-threatened-20150802-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208213122/https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-northern-california-fire-explodes-24-homes-lost-thousands-threatened-20150802-story.html |archive-date=December 8, 2022 |access-date=March 21, 2024 |work=Los Angeles Times}} This absence was partly attributable to fire suppression policies that prevented wildfires from periodically reducing the build-up of vegetation.{{Cite news |last=Fimrite |first=Peter |date=August 8, 2015 |title=Explosive Rocky Fire a warning for drought-parched state |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/science/article/Explosive-Rocky-Fire-a-warning-for-6433258.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240320190250/https://www.sfchronicle.com/science/article/Explosive-Rocky-Fire-a-warning-for-6433258.php |archive-date=March 20, 2024 |access-date=March 23, 2024 |work=San Francisco Chronicle}} Dense chaparral—more than {{convert|6|ft|m|abbr=out|spell=in}} tall in some areas—had flourished in the meantime, providing plentiful fuel for fire growth.{{Cite news |last1=Megerian |first1=Chris |last2=Rocha |first2=Veronica |date=August 3, 2015 |title=Cooler weather, higher humidity aid battle against Northern California wildfire |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-rocky-fire-explodes-20150803-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240321205958/https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-rocky-fire-explodes-20150803-story.html |archive-date=March 21, 2024 |access-date=March 22, 2024 |work=Los Angeles Times}} A multiple-year drought then began in 2011. Moisture levels in chamise brush, one of the vegetation types that characterized the Rocky Fire burn area, reached near-record lows by the onset of the fire in July despite the driest months of the year typically being September and October.
California's 2015 wildfire season was characterized by aggressive fires that, aided by drought conditions, remained active through the night instead of abating. By August 8, as the Rocky Fire was underway, the amount of state land burned in wildfires was more than double the five-year average.{{Cite news |last1=Serna |first1=Joseph |last2=Knoll |first2=Corina |last3=Panzar |first3=Javier |date=August 12, 2015 |title=Heat wave heightens danger in an already epic summer of fire |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-california-wildfires-reach-new-heights-heat-wave-brings-new-dangers-20150812-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240321205542/https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-california-wildfires-reach-new-heights-heat-wave-brings-new-dangers-20150812-story.html |archive-date=March 21, 2024 |access-date=March 22, 2024 |work=Los Angeles Times}} The Rocky Fire was one of 52 wildfires to exceed {{convert|40000|acres|ha|abbr=out}} in the United States in 2015.{{rp|page=7}} In California, 8,283 wildfires burned a total of {{convert|880899|acres|ha|abbr=out}}.{{Cite report |url=https://34c031f8-c9fd-4018-8c5a-4159cdff6b0d-cdn-endpoint.azureedge.net/-/media/calfire-website/our-impact/fire-statistics/2015_redbook_final.pdf |title=2015 Wildfire Activity Statistics |date=2016 |publisher=California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) |access-date=March 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311221415/https://34c031f8-c9fd-4018-8c5a-4159cdff6b0d-cdn-endpoint.azureedge.net/-/media/calfire-website/our-impact/fire-statistics/2015_redbook_final.pdf |archive-date=March 11, 2023 |url-status=live}}
Progression
The Rocky Fire began at a property on Morgan Valley Road, east of Clearlake in Lake County, at about 3:30 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, July 29, when a gas-powered water heater in an outbuilding caught fire and set nearby vegetation alight.{{Cite web |title=Rocky Fire |url=https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2015/7/29/rocky-fire |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230929180726/https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2015/7/29/rocky-fire |archive-date=September 29, 2023 |access-date=March 20, 2024 |website=www.fire.ca.gov |publisher=California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire)}}{{Cite news |last=Serna |first=Joseph |date=August 19, 2015 |title=Massive Rocky fire near Napa was sparked by faulty water heater, investigators say |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-rocky-fire-water-heater-20150819-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240321205943/https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-rocky-fire-water-heater-20150819-story.html |archive-date=March 21, 2024 |access-date=March 22, 2024 |work=Los Angeles Times}} Firefighters were initially dispatched to the incident based on a report of a structure fire on Rocky Creek Road; a second fire was later reported on Morgan Valley Road with an unknown cause.{{Cite news |date=August 19, 2015 |title=Investigators determine cause of one of two fires that formed Rocky fire incident |url=https://lakeconews.com/news/43063-investigators-determine-cause-of-one-of-two-fires-that-formed-rocky-fire-incident |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323152428/https://lakeconews.com/news/43063-investigators-determine-cause-of-one-of-two-fires-that-formed-rocky-fire-incident |archive-date=March 23, 2024 |access-date=March 23, 2024 |work=Lake County News}} The fire was named the Rocky Fire for its proximity to Rocky Creek, which flows north of Morgan Valley Road.{{Cite news |last1=Swindell |first1=Bill |last2=Anderson |first2=Glenda |last3=Callahan |first3=Mary |date=July 29, 2015 |title=Residents evacuated in face of fast-moving Lake County wildfire |url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/residents-evacuated-in-face-of-fast-moving-lake-county-wildfire/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226061314/https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/residents-evacuated-in-face-of-fast-moving-lake-county-wildfire/ |archive-date=December 26, 2022 |access-date=March 23, 2024 |work=The Press Democrat}}
High temperatures and winds helped the ensuing fire spread rapidly as it entered thick brush and woodlands, advancing forward by ember spotting. In several hours, the fire grew from {{convert|150|acres|ha|abbr=out}} to {{convert|3000|acres|ha|abbr=out}}, destroying several outbuildings and necessitating mandatory evacuation orders for about 500 people. A total of 350 firefighting personnel engaged the fire in the first day, joined by eight air tankers and eight helicopters.
By the following afternoon, the fire had burned {{convert|8300|acres|ha|abbr=out}} and had forced residents of Lower Lake and nearby roads to evacuate while pushing into the Cache Creek Wilderness and the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.{{Cite news |last=Rocha |first=Veronica |date=July 30, 2015 |title=8,300-acre wildfire north of Napa Valley forces residents to flee homes |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-northern-california-wildfire-20150730-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240321205543/https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-northern-california-wildfire-20150730-story.html |archive-date=March 21, 2024 |access-date=March 22, 2024 |work=Los Angeles Times}} By that night, the Rocky Fire spanned {{convert|13500|acres|ha|abbr=out}} in area and was the largest active wildfire in Northern California.
Originally confined to a rugged area bounded by California State Route 29 to the west and Route 16 to the east, the fire became much more active on Saturday, August 1. Temperatures reached more than {{convert|100|°F|°C|abbr=on}} and relative humidity levels approached zero percent. Using bulldozers, firefighters built containment lines ahead of the Rocky Fire's northern and eastern flanks.{{Cite news |last1=Chirbas |first1=Kurt |last2=St. John |first2=Paige |last3=Rubin |first3=Joel |date=August 2, 2015 |title=Fueled by dry brush and heat, wildfire chars 20,000 acres in 5 hours |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-0803-norcal-fires-20150803-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240321210119/https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-0803-norcal-fires-20150803-story.html |archive-date=March 21, 2024 |access-date=March 22, 2024 |work=Los Angeles Times}} Toward the end of the day, the fire's rate of spread vastly exceeded what had been predicted by computer modeling, consuming {{convert|20000–22000|acres|ha|abbr=out}} in a five-hour period.{{Cite news |last1=Serna |first1=Joseph |last2=Megerian |first2=Chris |last3=Knoll |first3=Corina |date=August 4, 2015 |title=Explosive Rocky fire defies odds and expectations |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-rocky-fire-20150805-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002025300/https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-rocky-fire-20150805-story.html |archive-date=October 2, 2023 |access-date=March 21, 2024 |work=Los Angeles Times}}{{Cite news |last=Nir |first=Sarah Maslin |date=August 5, 2015 |title=California Fire, Aided by Drought, Defies Tactics to Defeat It |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/06/us/rocky-fire-in-california-defies-expectations-and-defenses.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240321205958/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/06/us/rocky-fire-in-california-defies-expectations-and-defenses.html |archive-date=March 21, 2024 |access-date=March 22, 2024 |work=The New York Times}} A Cal Fire public information officer described the growth as "really unprecedented in recent times, or in even veterans of our department’s recollection" for a wildfire not influenced by strong winds.{{Cite news |last=Mooney |first=Chris |date=August 6, 2015 |title=California is battling its scariest 2015 wildfire so far — the Rocky Fire |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/08/05/california-is-now-experiencing-its-scariest-wildfire-in-2015-so-far/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170318125157/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/08/05/california-is-now-experiencing-its-scariest-wildfire-in-2015-so-far/ |archive-date=March 18, 2017 |access-date=March 21, 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post}} The fire produced large pyrocumulus clouds that reached {{convert|35000|ft|m|abbr=out}} in altitude, which had a tendency to collapse and spread the fire erratically when downdrafts reached the surface.{{Cite news |last=Fimrite |first=Peter |date=August 4, 2015 |title=Experts haven't seen anything like 'insane' Rocky Fire |url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Rocky-Fire-grows-to-65-000-acres-still-12-6423753.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520084943/https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Rocky-Fire-grows-to-65-000-acres-still-12-6423753.php |archive-date=May 20, 2022 |access-date=March 23, 2024 |work=SFGate}}File:California state wildfires 150801-Z-HD314-006.jpg drop on August 1|left]]The Rocky Fire continued to burn actively that night and through the following day. Fire personnel abandoned the containment lines they had built on the northern/eastern flanks, retreating several miles further north to California State Route 20 (CA 20) and further east to California State Route 16 (CA 16). There, they conducted firing operations, burning off fuel between the highways and the fire itself so as to halt its growth in those directions. The Rocky Fire reached approximately {{convert|54000|acres|ha|abbr=out}} in burned area with five percent containment by the end of Sunday, August 2.
{{multiple image
| align = right
| direction = vertical
| header = Satellite view of the burn scar
| image1 = 2015-08-03 Rocky Fire via Landsat 8 OLI natural color.jpg
| width1 =
| caption1 = The Rocky Fire seen via natural color Landsat 8 satellite imagery on August 3, 2015
| image2 = 2015-08-03 Rocky Fire via Landsat 8 OLI SWIR.jpg
| width2 =
| caption2 = A simultaneous false-color composite image using short-wave infrared and near-infrared light
| alt1 = The Rocky Fire is seen from directly above as a very roughly circular brown patch on green-to-tan land cover, with the top and left sides issuing gray smoke
| alt2 = With the same point of view as above the Rocky Fire stands out vibrantly as shades of red and orange against now-gray land cover
}}
By Monday, August 3, fire activity was expected to calm as an incoming weather system brought temperatures down and relative humidity up. In the afternoon, the Rocky Fire crossed CA 20 to the north, despite the firing operations and other preparations the previous day.{{Cite news |last1=Megerian |first1=Chris |last2=Chirbas |first2=Kurt |last3=Rocha |first3=Veronica |date=August 4, 2015 |title=Thunderstorms may challenge firefighters battling 65,000-acre Rocky fire |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-rocky-fire-thunderstorms-20150804-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240320184759/https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-rocky-fire-thunderstorms-20150804-story.html |archive-date=March 20, 2024 |access-date=March 21, 2024 |work=Los Angeles Times}} The fire burned up-slope in a drainage near Cache Creek, creating a large plume that—in combination with a sudden wind shift—caused ember spotting up across the highway up to {{convert|1|mi|km|abbr=out|spell=in}} away in Long Valley. The fire then proceeded to burn through a subdivision, destroying multiple structures, as it moved north towards Indian Valley Reservoir.
On Tuesday, August 4, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said that President Barack Obama had been briefed on the fire by Lisa Monaco, one of his national security advisors, and that the White House would continue to monitor the situation. That same day, the National Interagency Fire Center ranked the Rocky Fire as the highest-priority wildfire in the country for additional equipment and personnel.{{Cite news |last1=Har |first1=Janie |last2=Bender |first2=Kristin J. |date=August 4, 2015 |title=Californians Facing Nights in Wildfire Evacuation Shelters |url=https://www.theledger.com/story/news/2015/08/04/californians-facing-nights-in-wildfire/8231389007/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323185443/https://www.theledger.com/story/news/2015/08/04/californians-facing-nights-in-wildfire/8231389007/ |archive-date=March 23, 2024 |access-date=March 23, 2024 |work=The Ledger |agency=Associated Press}} By August 5, at roughly {{convert|69600|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}}, the Rocky Fire's burned area was more than four times that of any other active wildfire in California, though only the portion of the fire perimeter that had burned across CA 20 remained uncontained.{{Cite news |last1=Digitale |first1=Robert |last2=Anderson |first2=Glenda |last3=Rossman |first3=Randi |date=August 5, 2015 |title=Rocky Fire slowed in Lake County; 43 homes lost in blaze |url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/rocky-fire-slowed-in-lake-county-43-homes-lost-in-blaze/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323141601/https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/rocky-fire-slowed-in-lake-county-43-homes-lost-in-blaze/ |archive-date=March 23, 2024 |access-date=March 23, 2024 |work=The Press Democrat}}
Despite the setback, by later in the week improved weather conditions allowed firefighters to double containment of the perimeter in two days. The number of personnel assigned to the Rocky Fire peaked at more than 3,500 people on August 6. This included hundreds of inmates in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation system, earning $1.45–$3.90 per hour plus a bonus one dollar per hour for working on a fire.{{Cite news |date=August 7, 2015 |title=Inmates join firefighters on front lines of wildfires |url=https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/inmates-join-firefighters-on-front-lines-of-wildfires/103-310045191 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323150856/https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/inmates-join-firefighters-on-front-lines-of-wildfires/103-310045191 |archive-date=March 23, 2024 |access-date=March 23, 2024 |work=KXTV}}
The fire was declared 100 percent contained on Friday, August 14. The total area burned in the fire was calculated at {{convert|69438|acres|ha|abbr=out}}, adjusted down from {{convert|69636|acres|ha|abbr=out}} by more accurate mapping.{{Cite news |last=Larson |first=Elizabeth |date=August 13, 2015 |title=Winds continue to be concern on Jerusalem fire; firefighters make more containment progress |url=https://lakeconews.com/news/42973-winds-continue-to-be-concern-on-jerusalem-fire-firefighters-make-more-containment-progress |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323062807/https://lakeconews.com/news/42973-winds-continue-to-be-concern-on-jerusalem-fire-firefighters-make-more-containment-progress |archive-date=March 23, 2024 |access-date=March 23, 2024 |work=Lake County News}} According to the National Interagency Fire Center, the cost of fighting the fire came to $46.1 million at the time, or roughly equivalent to ${{Inflation|US-GDP|46.1|2015|r=1|fmt=c}}{{nbsp}}million in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}} when adjusted for inflation.{{Cite report |url=https://www.nifc.gov/sites/default/files/NICC/2-Predictive%20Services/Intelligence/Annual%20Reports/2015/annual_report_2015_508.pdf |title=Wildland Fire Summary and Statistics Annual Report 2015 |date=2015 |publisher=National Interagency Coordination Center |access-date=February 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240212161219/https://www.nifc.gov/sites/default/files/NICC/2-Predictive%20Services/Intelligence/Annual%20Reports/2015/annual_report_2015_508.pdf |archive-date=February 12, 2024 |via=www.nifc.gov |url-status=live}}{{rp|page=9}}
Cause
On August 17, 2016, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) officials announced that the Rocky Fire had been ignited by a malfunctioning gas-powered water heater strapped to a tree and housed in an outbuilding filled with flammable liquids, associated with an illegal cannabis growing operation. A spokesperson called the arrangement "inventive" but "not very safe". Two suspects in the fire—not named by Cal Fire—fled the country before investigators could question them. The Rocky Fire was one of five wildfires related to cannabis cultivation in Northern California in 2015.{{Cite news |last=Thompson |first=Don |date=August 17, 2016 |title=Official: California wildfire in 2015 sparked by pot farm |url=https://apnews.com/general-news-3e933edb5167474fa2c18e50d34de22a |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322151613/https://apnews.com/general-news-3e933edb5167474fa2c18e50d34de22a |archive-date=March 22, 2024 |access-date=March 22, 2024 |work=Associated Press}}{{Cite news |date=August 19, 2015 |title=Cal Fire: Faulty Water Heater Caused Rocky Fire In Lake County |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/cal-fire-faulty-water-heater-caused-rocky-fire-in-lake-county/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322152250/https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/cal-fire-faulty-water-heater-caused-rocky-fire-in-lake-county/ |archive-date=March 22, 2024 |access-date=March 22, 2024 |work=CBS News}}
Effects
No injuries or deaths were recorded during the Rocky Fire. Ninety-six structures were destroyed, comprising 43 homes and 53 outbuildings. Eight structures were damaged. Most of the burned buildings were in the Morgan Valley area near the fire's origin. The Rocky Fire was the third most destructive fire of the year in California, surpassed by the Valley Fire in Lake County and the Butte Fire in Amador County.
The number of people under mandatory evacuation orders reached 1,480; when including voluntary evacuation warnings approximately 13,000 people were affected.{{Cite news |last1=Stelloh |first1=Tim |last2=Austin |first2=Henry |date=August 3, 2015 |title=California Wildfires: 13,000 Under Evacuation Orders as Rocky Fire Rages |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/western-wildfires/california-wildfires-13-000-under-evacuation-orders-rocky-fire-rages-n402916 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240320184753/https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/western-wildfires/california-wildfires-13-000-under-evacuation-orders-rocky-fire-rages-n402916 |archive-date=March 20, 2024 |access-date=March 21, 2024 |work=NBC News}} Some residents were forced to stay in hotels, some in the two Red Cross shelters established nearby, others in tents in parking lots. After fire growth and suppression operations had forced their closure on August 1, California State Routes 20 and 16 re-opened on Friday, August 7. Evacuations were lifted and all road closures but one were lifted in the morning on Saturday, August 8.{{Cite news |last=Branson-Potts |first=Hailey |date=August 8, 2015 |title=Cooler temperatures help firefighters gain 'upper hand' on Rocky fire |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-rocky-fire-20150808-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160224143821/http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-rocky-fire-20150808-story.html |archive-date=February 24, 2016 |access-date=March 21, 2024 |work=Los Angeles Times}}
= Political response =
On July 31, 2015, California governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in response to the Rocky Fire and other wildfires burning in Northern California. On August 6, Brown visited the Rocky Fire area, meeting with impacted residents and firefighting personnel as well as using the opportunity to speak about the impacts of climate change in California.{{Cite news |last=Megerian |first=Chris |date=August 6, 2015 |title=Gov. Brown highlights climate change risks at site of Rocky fire |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-rocky-fire-brown-20150807-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240321201803/https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-rocky-fire-brown-20150807-story.html |archive-date=March 21, 2024 |access-date=March 22, 2024 |work=Los Angeles Times}}
= Environmental impacts =
Smoke from the fire was carried southeast towards Sacramento, where authorities issued air quality advisories for those with pre-existing respiratory issues. Lake County wineries fretted about the effects of the smoke on grape flavor, but as prevailing winds pushed smoke east instead of west towards the bulk of the county's vineyards, the impacts were "minimal to none".{{Cite news |last=Swindell |first=Bill |date=August 4, 2015 |title=Lake County wineries defend vineyards from flames, smoke |url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/business/lake-county-wineries-defend-vineyards-from-flames-smoke/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323135351/https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/business/lake-county-wineries-defend-vineyards-from-flames-smoke/ |archive-date=March 23, 2024 |access-date=March 23, 2024 |work=The Press Democrat}}