Merced County

County in California

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Report created October 27, 2026 at www.firezones.info/county/047/merced

  • Fire hazard severity zones

    Share of the land in each CAL FIRE hazard class

    9% Very High

    All of the Very High land is in the State Responsibility Area, where the State Fire Marshal's zones apply.

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  • Fire history

    Share of the land inside a recorded wildfire perimeter

    7% has burned

    Most recently the 2025 18-1 Fire, which burned 463 acres here, one of 120 fires on record.

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  • Power line fire risk

    Share of the land in the High Fire-Threat District

    <1% Elevated

    Utilities may shut off power in the CPUC High Fire-Threat District in fire weather, and homes outside it can lose power when their lines run through it.

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Land by hazard class

  1. Very High 109,390 acres · State Responsibility Area 9%
  2. High 190,155 acres · 188,350 state, 1,805 local 15%
  3. Moderate 193,308 acres · 96,561 state, 96,747 local 15%
  4. Non-wildland 697,388 acres · Local Responsibility Area 55%
  5. Not mapped by CAL FIRE 76,003 acres · Mostly federal land 6%

1,266,243 acres of land in all, 394,302 in the State Responsibility Area and 795,939 in the Local. State zones are the ones the State Fire Marshal designated, in effect since 1 April 2024. Local zones are CAL FIRE's 2025 recommendation, which each city or county adopts by ordinance and can make stricter. How to read fire zones

Largest fires

  1. 1996 Mercy Fire Of 23,526 acres in all 19,150 acres
  2. 1993 Pg&E #4 Fire 9,373 acres
  3. 1998 Mercy Fire Cause: Vehicle 4,957 acres
  4. 1974 Old Mill Fire 4,738 acres
  5. 1951 Merced #7 Fire 4,252 acres
  6. 2020 Scu Lightning Complex Of 396,824 acres in all · Cause: Lightning 3,766 acres
  7. 2018 Planada Fire Of 4,564 acres in all · Cause: Equipment use 3,154 acres
  8. 1968 Engineers Road Fire Of 8,074 acres in all 3,106 acres
  9. 1967 Goman Fire 3,079 acres
  10. 1992 La Paloma Fire 2,515 acres

And 110 smaller fires. In all, 82,313 acres of Merced County have burned. Acres are the land each fire burned here, and fires that crossed less than an acre are not counted. Some older or smaller fires may be missing, and a fire perimeter can include unburned patches. How to read fire history

Sources

Fire hazard severity zones
CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal
State map published 27 June 2025, local map 2 February 2026
Fire history
CAL FIRE Fire and Resource Assessment Program
Published 28 July 2026
Power line fire risk
California Public Utilities Commission
Published 23 February 2026

This site is independent and not affiliated with CAL FIRE or the CPUC, so for an official determination, check with the agency or your city or county. How we read the data

Nearby areas

Cities and towns in Merced County

Unincorporated communities in Merced County

ZIP codes in Merced County

Neighboring counties

  1. Merced County 9% Very High · this area
  2. Fresno County 8% Very High
  3. Madera County 9% Very High
  4. Mariposa County 23% Very High
  5. San Benito County 45% Very High
  6. Santa Clara County 51% Very High
  7. Stanislaus County 22% Very High
  8. Tuolumne County 17% Very High