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

Key facts

Started	October 31, 1953
Contained	Not recorded
Burned	11,775 acres 7th largest fire of 1953
Cause	Not recorded

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Where it burned

County

Ventura County 11,775 acres

Community

Moorpark 85 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

1942 Baker Fire 1,629 acres in total 14 acres shared
1944 Long Canyon Fire 462 acres in total 260 acres shared
1946 Wiley Canyon Fire 21,266 acres in total 6,845 acres shared

Burned again

1958 Calumet Canyon Fire 17,214 acres in total 5,637 acres shared
1969 Torrey Canyon Fire 1,655 acres in total 292 acres shared
1970 Clampitt Fire 115,537 acres in total · Cause: Power lines 7,449 acres shared
1970 Wiley Fire 449 acres in total 73 acres shared
1978 Happy Camp Fire 463 acres in total 376 acres shared
1984 Grimes Fire 11,305 acres in total 441 acres shared
2003 Simi Fire 107,570 acres in total 10,438 acres shared
2006 Shekell Fire 13,618 acres in total 6,321 acres shared
2009 Guiberson Fire 17,527 acres in total 8,291 acres shared
2013 Happy Camp Fire Cause: Power lines 45 acres shared

Acres are the land each fire shares with the Shields Lease 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