Rush Fire

{{Short description|2012 wildfire in California and Nevada}}

{{Use American English|date=May 2025}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}

{{Infobox wildfire

| title = Rush Fire

| image = Rush fire BLM.jpg

| image_size =

| caption =

| cost =

| injuries =

| fatalities =

| reference = {{cite web|url=http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3151/|title=Rush Fire|work=Inciweb|access-date=2013-09-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083743/http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3151/|archive-date=2016-03-04}}{{cite web|title=Rush Fire|url=http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?incident_id=715|website=CAL FIRE|access-date=25 August 2015|archive-date=16 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116134425/http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?incident_id=715|url-status=dead}}

| date = {{Unbulleted list|{{Start date|2012|08|12}} – |{{End date|2012|08|30}}}}

| location = Lassen County, California
Washoe County, Nevada

| coordinates = {{coord|40.621|N|120.152|W|dim:36km|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

| area = {{convert|315,577|acre|km2|-1}}

{{blist|{{convert| 271,911 |acre|km2|0|abbr=on}} in CA|{{convert| 43,686|acre|km2|0|abbr=on}} in NV}}

| cause = Lightning

| landuse =

| buildings = 1

}}

The Rush Fire was the largest wildfire of the 2012 California wildfire season.{{cite web|title=Large Fires 2012|url=http://www.fire.ca.gov/fire_protection/downloads/2012_LargeFiresList.pdf|website=CAL FIRE|access-date=21 August 2015|archive-date=12 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912015516/http://www.fire.ca.gov/fire_protection/downloads/2012_LargeFiresList.pdf|url-status=live}} The fire, which started in Lassen County, California, eventually spread into Washoe County, Nevada. The fire consumed a total of {{convert|315,577|acre|mi2 km2|-1}} of sagebrush, of which {{convert|271,991|acre|km2 mi2|-1}} were in California. At the time, the burn area in California made the Rush Fire the second-largest wildfire in California since 1932 (when accurate area estimates became available). In December 2017, the Thomas Fire surpassed the Rush Fire to become the second-largest wildfire in modern California history, in terms of the area burned in California.{{cite web|url=https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5670/|title=Thomas Fire: InciWeb Incident Information Systems|publisher=InciWeb|date=December 19, 2017|access-date=December 19, 2017|archive-date=June 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180601000929/https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5670/|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-thomas-fire-winds-return-20171219-story.html|title=The Thomas fire is now the second largest in modern California history|author1=Hailey Branson-Potts|author2=Nicole Santa Cruz|work=Los Angeles Times|date=December 20, 2017|access-date=December 20, 2017|archive-date=December 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171220065419/http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-thomas-fire-winds-return-20171219-story.html|url-status=live}} In mid-August 2018, the Ranch Fire in the Mendocino Complex Fire surpassed the total acreage of the Rush Fire in both California and Nevada.{{cite web|url=https://time.com/5369694/california-wildfire-mendocino-size/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180817012245/http://time.com/5369694/california-wildfire-mendochino-size/|url-status=live|archive-date=August 17, 2018|title=California's Massive Wildfires Are Nearly 10 Times the Size of San Francisco|author1=Chris Wilson|author2=David Johnson|author3=Jennifer Calfas|publisher=Time|date=16 August 2018|access-date=18 August 2018}}

The fire destroyed important habitat for the greater sage-grouse, as well as a single barn.{{cite news|url=http://www.lassennews.com/index.php?option=com_content&id=8345:rush-fire-consumes-205000-acres-one-barn&Itemid=1|newspaper=Lassen County Times|title=Rush fire consumes 205,000 acres, one barn|date=2012-08-17}} On August 30, 2012, the Rush Fire was 100% contained.