Monterey County

County in California

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Report created October 27, 2026 at www.firezones.info/county/053/monterey

  • Fire hazard severity zones

    Share of the land in each CAL FIRE hazard class

    36% Very High

    Most 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

    38% has burned

    Most recently the 2025 Salt Fire, which burned 24 acres here, one of 486 fires on record.

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  • Power line fire risk

    Share of the land in the High Fire-Threat District

    60% Elevated · 2% Extreme

    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 759,076 acres · 750,234 state, 8,842 local 36%
  2. High 491,005 acres · 475,350 state, 15,655 local 23%
  3. Moderate 117,061 acres · 63,125 state, 53,935 local 6%
  4. Non-wildland 212,508 acres · Local Responsibility Area 10%
  5. Not mapped by CAL FIRE 541,849 acres · Mostly federal land 26%

2,121,499 acres of land in all, 1,288,709 in the State Responsibility Area and 290,940 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. 1977 Marble-Cone Fire Cause: Miscellaneous 173,333 acres
  2. 2008 Gallery Fire Cause: Lightning 163,607 acres
  3. 2016 Soberanes Fire Cause: Campfire 132,104 acres
  4. 2020 Dolan Fire 124,521 acres
  5. 1999 Kirk Fire Cause: Lightning 85,835 acres
  6. 2008 Indians Fire Cause: Campfire 76,460 acres
  7. 1985 Gorda-Rat Fire Cause: Lightning 56,157 acres
  8. 1924 Unnamed fire Cause: Miscellaneous 54,480 acres
  9. 2020 River Fire Cause: Lightning 50,209 acres
  10. 1970 Buckeye Fire Of 42,308 acres in all · Cause: Miscellaneous 41,555 acres

And 476 smaller fires. In all, 805,320 acres of Monterey 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 Monterey County

Unincorporated communities in Monterey County

ZIP codes in Monterey County

Neighboring counties

  1. Monterey County 36% Very High · this area
  2. Fresno County 8% Very High
  3. Kings County 14% High · 4% Very High
  4. San Benito County 45% Very High
  5. San Luis Obispo County 28% Very High
  6. Santa Cruz County 9% Very High