To the north, the Paradise fire in Valley Center killed two. Days later, a Northern California firefighter died when flames overran a Julian-area home. Fifteen people were killed.Įight of them died on a single street in the first hours of the fire. It’s the ninth largest, with 273,246 acres scorched.Īnd it’s the sixth deadliest. It is now ranked as the fourth most destructive wildfire in the state, with 2,820 structures burned. Two decades later, the Cedar fire still ranks high in Cal Fire’s listings of the state’s most notable wildfires. With a dozen large fires raging - including the Old fire in the San Bernardino Mountains - and reports that some were suspected to be arson, it felt like all of Southern California was under attack.Ī state commission called the simultaneous blazes the “ 2003 Fire Siege” and said at the time it was “the most devastating wild land/urban interface fire disaster in California’s history.” But the parking lot had become an evacuation site, and smoke choked the region. A Chargers-Broncos “Monday Night Football” game had been scheduled to be played at Qualcomm Stadium two days after the fire started.

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