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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

Colyear1,401 ac
2008 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Little1,399 ac
2008 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Honey Bee1,390 ac
2008 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Bonanza1,371 ac
2008 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Twenty1,355 ac
2008 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Low Gap1,347 ac
2008 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Lagrange1,334 ac
2008 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Shu Lightning-Lower Fire1,310 ac
2008 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Lost Pipe1,187 ac
2008 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Slide1,182 ac
2008 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Avocado1,175 ac
2008 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Travis 11,171 ac
2008 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Scotchman1,165 ac
2008 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Shu Lightning-Stein Fire1,148 ac
2008 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Gladding1,090 ac
2008 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Paradise1,072 ac
2008 · perimeter dated August 1, 2008
Paradise1,072 ac
2008 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Zaca240,359 ac
2007 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Witch162,071 ac
2007 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Harris 290,728 ac
2007 · perimeter dated November 2, 2007
Harris88,440 ac
2007 · perimeter dated November 30, 2007
Moonlight64,960 ac
2007 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Ranch58,410 ac
2007 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Ranch57,573 ac
2007 · perimeter dated December 17, 2007
Poomacha49,411 ac
2007 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Lick47,748 ac
2007 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Buckweed38,348 ac
2007 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Santiago28,430 ac
2007 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Oak27,063 ac
2007 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Wheeler22,332 ac
2007 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Ammo21,494 ac
2007 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Butler #213,736 ac
2007 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Slide12,769 ac
2007 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
White12,432 ac
2007 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
King Creek10,477 ac
2007 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Rice9,472 ac
2007 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Ralston8,421 ac
2007 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Fletcher8,082 ac
2007 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Sage6,463 ac
2007 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Tar5,671 ac
2007 · perimeter dated August 19, 2007

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.