8/14/2014 How Fires are Named?

How Fires are Named?

Most fires are named for a topographical feature, such as a water or land feature, in the immediate area of the fire.  The chosen feature is usually familiar to local firefighters and local residents.  For example, if a fire is close to a creek named “Pioneer” the fire likely would be called the Pioneer Fire.

For Fire Complexes, the name of the Complex generally refers to either the first fire of the Complex or the largest fire in the Complex.

Sometimes fire names are changed during the incident if the name leads to public or media confusion. For example, in 2002, the Florence Fire, named for its proximity to a small creek on the Siskiyou National Forest, was renamed the Biscuit Fire.  The change was needed because as the fire grew larger and media attention increased, people thought the name referred to the coastal community of Florence, Oregon.  The confusion began to affect the tourist economy of Florence, Oregon.  Once the name was changed, the confusion was eliminated and the community of Florence was no longer impacted.