News

Actions

How wildfires sometimes get weird names

Posted

Have you ever wondered who's responsible for naming wildfires? And why do they sometimes get such strange names?

For instance, there's a fire burning in Tennessee called the "Happy Valley Ridge" fire. There's another in California called the "Soup Complex" fire.

RELATED: Storm Shield app provides life-saving weather alerts
RELATED: RadarCast will alert you when rain is headed your way

There isn't a single organization responsible for naming wildfires, and the responsibility falls on the first person to call in the fire to the emergency dispatch.

Watch the video to learn more about how and why wildfires are named.

Follow Storm Shield Meteorologist Jason Meyersvia the Storm Shield appon Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Download the Storm Shield Weather Radio App for your iPhone or Android device and get severe weather alerts wherever you are. Named by Time.com one of the best weather apps for your iPhone.

,

Weather

Daily Forecast

View Hourly Forecast

Day

Conditions

HI / LO

Precip

Thursday

05/08/2025

Clear

-° / 63°

0%

Friday

05/09/2025

Clear

99° / 66°

0%

Saturday

05/10/2025

Partly Cloudy

102° / 67°

0%

Sunday

05/11/2025

Mostly Clear

93° / 57°

0%

Monday

05/12/2025

Mostly Cloudy

79° / 53°

24%

Tuesday

05/13/2025

Clear

72° / 53°

5%

Wednesday

05/14/2025

Mostly Clear

80° / 57°

0%

Thursday

05/15/2025

Mostly Clear

86° / 61°

0%