Horse Fire grows to 160 ha (400 acres) west of Lakehead, California after intense lightning storm
A lightning-sparked Horse Fire, located west of Lakehead, California, has burned about 160 ha (400 acres) near Schell Mountain, south of Clear Creek Campground, as of July 3, 2025. Fire crews have made progress on containment, and the fire has not crossed Rattlesnake Creek.
The Horse Fire in Lakehead, California. Credit: UC San Diego
Horse Fire has grown to about 160 ha (400 acres) south of Clear Creek Campground, near Schell Mountain, west of Lakehead in Shasta County, California, as of July 3. The fire was ignited by lightning associated with an intense storm system that delivered over 12 000 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes across northern California.
According to fire officials, the fire has not crossed Rattlesnake Creek, a key containment reference point. Ground crews and aerial assets including tankers and helicopters are actively engaged in suppression efforts. Firefighters have made good progress on both the head and flanks of the fire, with containment lines being extended overnight.
The region was hit by a high-intensity lightning event between July 1 and July 2, resulting in multiple wildfire ignitions across Shasta-Trinity and Klamath National Forests. In the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, at least 17 fires were confirmed, many of them small and quickly contained.
A wildfire burned west of Lakehead after a lightning storm brought over 12,000 strikes.
— Weather Monitor (@WeatherMonitors) July 3, 2025
Location: ~10 miles west of Lakehead, Shasta County, California, USA. July 02, 2025 pic.twitter.com/vDbqplsJz4
Klamath National Forest alone recorded 3 860 strikes between June 30 and July 1, with multiple new fires, including the Caroline, Springs, Ridge, Nest, and Grouse fires, all held to minimal acreage by rapid response teams. Across the two forests, aerial surveillance, smokejumpers, helicopters, and fixed-wing tankers were mobilized to monitor and suppress newly detected fires.
Officials from the U.S. Forest Service described the lightning outbreak as “a very high-end lightning event.” The risk of additional fire starts remains elevated due to forecast dry thunderstorms, and Red Flag Warnings are in effect across multiple northern counties.
This pattern mirrors past large-scale lightning events in California, including the August 2020 outbreak, which produced similar lightning counts and ignited over 500 wildfires across the region.
References:
1 Horse Fire Map – Watch Duty – Accessed on July 3, 2025
Reet is a science journalist and researcher with a keen focus on extreme weather, space phenomena, and climate-related issues. With a strong foundation in astronomy and a history of environmental activism, she approaches every story with a sharp scientific lens and a deep sense of purpose. Driven by a lifelong love for writing, and a curiosity about the universe, Reet brings urgency and insight to some of the most important scientific developments of our time.
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