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California Large Wildfire History

Since 1980, 2,299 wildfires of 1,000 acres or more have been mapped in California, 36 of them above 100,000 acres. The largest burned 501,082 ac; together they cover about 26,054,017 ac.

Fires by decade

'80
'90
'00
'10
'20

Largest in California

Biscuit · 2002501,082 acRanch · 2018410,203 acRanch · 2018410,202 acRanch · 2018410,201 acRush · 2012315,512 acRush · 2012307,083 acThomas · 2017281,791 acThomas · 2017281,790 acCedar · 2003270,686 acRim · 2013256,916 ac

All mapped large fires

Highway1,049 ac
2015 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Lumpkin1,046 ac
2015 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Frying Pan133,177 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
King97,685 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Bald39,752 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Bald39,752 ac
2014 · perimeter dated February 6, 2019
Whites33,794 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Beaver32,493 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Eiler31,995 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Coleman15,243 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Coleman15,243 ac
2014 · perimeter dated May 25, 2018
Pulgas15,186 ac
2014 · perimeter dated May 19, 2014
Pulgas-Basilone Complex15,186 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
French13,832 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Day13,151 ac
2014 · perimeter dated August 13, 2014
Day13,151 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Day13,151 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 29, 2019
Bully12,659 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Lodge12,533 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Lodge12,533 ac
2014 · perimeter dated February 3, 2020
Monticello6,599 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Coffee6,182 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Little Deer5,500 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Tomahawk5,365 ac
2014 · perimeter dated May 19, 2014
Meadow4,783 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 21, 2021
El Portal4,745 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
El Portal4,745 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 21, 2021
Butts4,297 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Sand4,239 ac
2014 · perimeter dated July 30, 2014
Sand4,239 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Way3,882 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Log3,637 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 29, 2019
Log3,637 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Shirley2,668 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 29, 2019
Shirley2,546 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Etiwanda2,142 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Cocos1,995 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Colby1,952 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Nicolls1,679 ac
2014 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Combat1,457 ac
2014 · perimeter dated May 19, 2014

Source: National Interagency Fire Center, Interagency Fire Perimeter History. Only fires with a mapped perimeter of 1,000 acres or more appear; the state is inferred from the responsible unit code. A record of past fires is not a forecast. See About the Data.