High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The summer 2008 California wildfires, collectively dubbed the Northern California Lightning Series by CAL FIRE, were a concentrated outbreak of wildfires during the summer of 2008. Over 2,780 individual fires were burning at the height of the period, burning large portions of forests and chaparral in California, and killing 23 individuals. The majority of the fires were started by lightning from dry thunderstorms on June 20, although some earlier fires were started on May 22. International aid from Greece, Cyprus, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, Canada, Mexico and New Zealand helped fight the fires.