Photo via CalFire: Border 47 fire was started by migrants, possibly seeking rescue in a remote location near the border, according to Cal Fire.  The blaze charred 50 acres. 

August 13, 2024 (San Diego) – The vast majority of California’s wildfires are caused by humans, as Cal Matters recently reported. Vehicles and lawn equipment are the most common culprits in accidental fires, while a few have natural causes from lightning. 

But along the international border, campfires lit by migrants and fires set by smugglers have sparked numerous recent blazes -- also igniting public safety concerns.

After a surge in border fires in May, Amy Reichert, chairwoman of Restore San Diego, obtained public records from CalFire from May 1 through June 1. .Reichert claimed that  of the eight fires along the border May 1-June 1, seven were tied to illegal border crossers, with one of undetermined cause, since it started in Mexico. 

ECM fact-checked that claim and found it largely accurate, with migrant fires the most likely cause of six fires, shooting the most likely cause in one fire despite a campfire nearby, and the Mexico fire of undetermined cause.