Sulphur Fire (1953): burned area, damage and fire history

Key facts

Started	July 2, 1953
Contained	Not recorded
Burned	31,709 acres 3rd largest fire of 1953
Cause	Not recorded

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Where it burned

County

Los Angeles County 31,708 acres

Acres are the land the fire burned in each county and community, and places where it burned less than an acre are not listed. Communities are cities, towns and the unincorporated places the Census Bureau names, so land outside any of them is counted only in its county.

The same land, other fires

Burned before

1878 Unnamed fire 59,469 acres in total 287 acres shared
1917 Pleasant View Ridge (#96) Fire 128 acres in total 112 acres shared
1924 San Gabriel Fire 43,050 acres in total 509 acres shared
1946 Sycamore Fire 58 acres in total 57 acres shared

Burned again

1956 Unnamed fire 1,387 acres in total 33 acres shared
1958 Bare Fire 238 acres shared
1979 Sage/Usfs Fire 28,913 acres in total 131 acres shared
1980 Little Rock Fire 1,337 acres in total 87 acres shared
1994 Shooting Fire 3,538 acres in total 202 acres shared
1995 Bare Fire 9 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 8 acres shared
2009 Station Fire 160,833 acres in total · Cause: Arson 8,569 acres shared
2016 Pleasant Fire Cause: Miscellaneous 12 acres shared
2020 Bobcat Fire 115,998 acres in total 21,368 acres shared

Acres are the land each fire shares with the Sulphur Fire, and fires that shared 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 history: CAL FIRE Fire and Resource Assessment Program; Published 28 July 2026
Building damage: CAL FIRE Damage Inspection; Updated 19 October 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