Sam Jones Fire

Wildfire in Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties, July 1953

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Printed October 28, 2026 from www.firezones.info/fire/1215/sam-jones-fire-1953

Key facts

Started July 10, 1953
Contained Not recorded
Burned 35,456 acres
2nd largest fire of 1953
Cause Not recorded
Open map

Where it burned

Counties

  1. Monterey County 23,739 acres
  2. San Luis Obispo County 11,719 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

  1. 1912 Unnamed fire 767 acres in total 526 acres shared
  2. 1913 Unnamed fire 14,588 acres in total 10,888 acres shared
  3. 1913 Unnamed fire 314 acres shared
  4. 1917 Unnamed fire 9,354 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 8,049 acres shared
  5. 1942 Unnamed fire 20,651 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 10,272 acres shared
  6. 1942 Unnamed fire 1,431 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 397 acres shared
  7. 1945 Unnamed fire 2,489 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 24 acres shared

Burned again

  1. 1960 Weferling Fire 51,451 acres in total 4,284 acres shared
  2. 1960 Weferling Fire 975 acres in total 806 acres shared
  3. 1964 Little Oak Flat Fire 1,611 acres in total 1,530 acres shared
  4. 2007 Bryson Fire Cause: Equipment use 25 acres shared
  5. 2016 Chimney Fire 46,234 acres in total · Cause: Vehicle 13,580 acres shared
  6. 2017 Cove Fire 25 acres shared
  7. 2020 Hunter Fire Cause: Campfire 195 acres shared
  8. 2020 Copperhead Fire Cause: Equipment use 23 acres shared

Acres are the land each fire shares with the Sam Jones 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