The major wildfire that destroyed most of the town of Paradise, California—commonly called the Camp Fire or the Paradise fire —started on November 8, 2018 and burned through much of November 2018.

Key timeline

  • The fire ignited in the morning of November 8, 2018 in Butte County, California, and very rapidly spread into Paradise the same day.
  • It continued burning for weeks; containment efforts stretched through late November as crews worked to fully control remaining hot spots.

Clarifying the name

  • The event many people call the Paradise fire is officially known as the Camp Fire , named after Camp Creek Road near its origin point, but it is strongly associated with the destruction of Paradise.
  • There have been other fires named “Paradise Fire” in different years and states, but when people ask “when was the Paradise fire,” they almost always mean the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, California , which began on November 8, 2018.

TL;DR: The Paradise fire (the 2018 Camp Fire that destroyed Paradise, California) began on November 8, 2018.