Event narrative (NOAA)
The McNally Fire was started by an illegal campfire. It charred 90,500 acres through July 31st and ultimately charred 150,696 acres. The fire was located in Tulare County near the town of Johnsondale and is the largest fire in Sequoia Park history. This fire threatened some of the park's historic Giant Sequoia Groves although they were successfully protected. There were 14 structures lost. At one time over 2,000 firefighters plus air support were being used to fight the fire. Cost to contain the fire was in excess of $14M by 7/31/02. The final cost assigned to this fire was $45.7M at containment on August 29th.
Other notable wildfire events in California
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.