The Rush Fire was the largest wildfire of the 2012 California wildfire season.[3] The fire, which started in Lassen County, California, eventually spread into Washoe County, Nevada. The fire consumed a total of 315,577 acres (490 sq mi; 1,280 km2) of sagebrush, of which 271,991 acres (1,100 km2; 420 sq mi) were in California.[1] At the time, the burn area in California made the Rush Fire the second-largest wildfire in California since 1932 (when accurate area estimates became available).[1] In December 2017, the Thomas Fire surpassed the Rush Fire to become the second-largest wildfire in modern California history, in terms of the area burned in California.[4][5] In mid-August 2018, the Ranch Fire in the Mendocino Complex Fire surpassed the total acreage of the Rush Fire in both California and Nevada.[6]
The fire destroyed important habitat for the greater sage-grouse, as well as a single barn.[7] On August 30, 2012, the Rush Fire was 100% contained.[2]
