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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

What starts the fires in California

Every wildfire incident on record has a cause code. Counts are of incidents, not acres — lightning fires are fewer but tend to grow far larger.

By broad cause
Undetermined72%6.0M ac
Unknown18%5.5M ac
Human5%1.6M ac
Natural5%5.0M ac
Specific cause, where recorded
Lightning977
Recreation429
Equipment / vehicle use398
Debris / open burning153
Arson / incendiary100
Firearms36
Natural (other)18
Fireworks5
Railroad1

Source: National Interagency Fire Center, WFIGS incident records (WFIGS incident records, roughly 2014 to present). A specific cause is recorded for only some incidents; “Undetermined” and “Unknown” are the agency's own categories.

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

741,066 ac
1994 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Pinnacles1,046 ac
1994 · perimeter dated January 21, 2021
Morrow1,034 ac
1994 · perimeter dated October 1, 1994
York1,012 ac
1994 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Marre43,822 ac
1993 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Green Meadows38,479 ac
1993 · perimeter dated October 26, 1993
Steckel27,085 ac
1993 · perimeter dated October 27, 1993
California24,434 ac
1993 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Ortega21,012 ac
1993 · perimeter dated November 3, 1993
Orchard19,969 ac
1993 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Guejiuto17,820 ac
1993 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Old Topanga Fire16,468 ac
1993 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Old Topanga16,202 ac
1993 · perimeter dated November 9, 1993
Laguna14,338 ac
1993 · perimeter dated October 27, 1993
Laguna Fire14,338 ac
1993 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Pg&E #49,373 ac
1993
Elk Hills 27,181 ac
1993 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Repplier5,994 ac
1993 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Unnamed Fire5,582 ac
1993 · perimeter dated October 27, 1993
Unknown5,582 ac
1993 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Kinneloa5,454 ac
1993 · perimeter dated October 27, 1993
Kinneloa Fire5,454 ac
1993 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Rancho5,416 ac
1993 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Eagle5,204 ac
1993 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Thatcher Vmp #24,833 ac
1993 · perimeter dated March 16, 1993
Sheep Thief2,916 ac
1993
Box Springs2,806 ac
1993 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Hunter Mountain2,433 ac
1993 · perimeter dated October 25, 1993
Reserve2,359 ac
1993 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Sabodan2,302 ac
1993 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Tribal2,199 ac
1993 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Buck Peak2,017 ac
1993 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Buck Peak2,017 ac
1993 · perimeter dated January 21, 2021
West Fire1,964 ac
1993 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
West1,964 ac
1993 · perimeter dated July 14, 1993
Pge 131,954 ac
1993 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Chatsworth Fire1,931 ac
1993 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Chatsworth1,931 ac
1993 · perimeter dated October 27, 1993
Boden1,630 ac
1993 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019
Grade1,495 ac
1993 · perimeter dated January 2, 2019

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.