US Easy, Getty and Kincade fires are ravaging California. So how did wildfires get named?

Just this week, wildfires in California such as the Kincade Fire, the Getty Fire and the Easy Fire have all wreaked havoc across the state, scorching thousands of acres and forcing widespread evacuations.

But where do these names come from?

Unlike hurricanes, which get their names from a predetermined list of names prepared years in advance, wildfire names are created on the spot when the blaze begins.

Fires typically are named by the dispatch center that sends the first responders to the fire, though sometimes they are named by the first firefighters on the scene, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Kincade fire stokes anxiety and a frightening sense of déjà vu among weary residents

Laila Salonga watched the news closely, waiting for word on whether her neighborhood in Santa Rosa would be evacuated. Powerful winds were fanning wildfires in northern California in "potentially historic fire" conditions, authorities said, as tens of thousands of people were ordered to evacuate and sweeping power cuts began in the state.

Cal Fire said that “quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locator, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name."

The name comes from a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc., Cal Fire reported.

What’s driving the historic California high wind events, and worsening the wildfires

Powerful, dry, downsloping winds responsible for the California wildfires can be traced to the Great Basin region.This is the third year in row that these winds — known in the San Francisco Bay region as “Diablo Winds” and Santa Ana winds in southern California — have fanned devastating blazes in the Golden State, raising fears that these fiery sieges are part of a new normal. Evidence continues to mount that climate change is making their effects worse.

For example, the Carr Fire, which destroyed 1,000 homes and killed eight people near Redding, California, before reaching full containment in August 2018, got its name not for the flat tire that sparked it but for nearby Carr Powerhouse Road, the San Francisco Chronicle said.

© Provided by USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. Flames from the Kincade Fire consume Soda Rock Winery on Sunday, Oct 27, 2019, in Healdsburg, Calif.

Investigation: Where will the West's next deadly wildfire strike? The risks are everywhere

According to the National Interagency Fire Center, there are some fire names that should be avoided. This includes naming a fire after a person, private property or a company, or naming a fire after another catastrophic fire (one that experienced fatalities or high property losses, for instance).

This is similar to how hurricane names are "retired" if they caused devastating damage or destruction. For example, there will never again be another Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Sandy, both of which had their names retired due to the historic devastation they caused.

Fire breaks out along 405 Freeway at Getty Center; structures burn, widespread evacuations ordered

A growing brush fire was threatening hundreds of homes in Brentwood and other Westside hillside communities, burning several structures and prompting widespread evacuations. The fire broke out along the 405 Freeway near the Getty Center and was spreading to the south and west. The mandatory evacuation zone was described by fire officials as a box: Mulholland Drive on the north side, the 405 on the east, Sunset Boulevard on the south and Mandeville Canyon Road on the west.Mount St. Mary's University was surrounded by flames and was being evacuated.Fire officials advised residents outside the mandatory zone but in the area to prepare to evacuate.

In addition, the fire center recommends against using cute or funny fire names, or using a play on words to name a fire: "What may be funny to one person or group may not be to another," the agency said.

Fire science: Infamous 'Diablo' winds are fueling fierce northern California wildfires. So, what are they?

Sometimes a fire can have two names: One of the worst wildfire disasters in U.S. history, a 1994 blaze that killed 14 firefighters, has become known as the Storm King Fire after the mountain where the crew died. But, officially, the blaze was known as the South Canyon Fire.

Some names are rather whimsical: “You could have a fire by a landfill – and they might call it the Dump Fire,” Heather Williams, a Cal Fire spokeswoman told the New York Times. “Sometimes the names come through and it’s like, ‘Really guys?’”

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Easy, Getty and Kincade fires are ravaging California. So how did wildfires get named?