Refugio Fire

Wildfire in Santa Barbara County, September 1955

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Printed October 28, 2026 from www.firezones.info/fire/1470/refugio-fire-1955

Key facts

Started September 6, 1955
Contained Not recorded
Burned 79,429 acres
Largest fire of 1955 and 73rd largest in California's records
Cause Miscellaneous
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Where it burned

County

  1. Santa Barbara County 79,429 acres

Community

  1. Eastern Goleta Valley 226 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. 1916 Unnamed fire Cause: Miscellaneous 527 acres shared
  2. 1921 Unnamed fire 5,551 acres shared
  3. 1922 Unnamed fire 3,785 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 1,949 acres shared
  4. 1925 El Capitan Fire Cause: Miscellaneous 400 acres shared
  5. 1925 Refugio Fire Cause: Miscellaneous 484 acres shared
  6. 1926 Unnamed fire 3,036 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 2,960 acres shared
  7. 1926 Unnamed fire 928 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 296 acres shared
  8. 1926 Los Cruces Fire 4,607 acres in total · Cause: Arson 4,484 acres shared
  9. 1940 Unnamed fire 4,996 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 2,588 acres shared
  10. 1944 Unnamed fire 12,190 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 2,100 acres shared
  11. 1950 San Marcos Fire 10,690 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 602 acres shared

Burned again

  1. 1990 Paint Fire 4,425 acres in total · Cause: Arson 1,030 acres shared
  2. 1997 Homestead Fire Cause: Miscellaneous 360 acres shared
  3. 2004 Gaviota Fire 7,198 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 4,730 acres shared
  4. 2008 Gap Fire 9,545 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 9,087 acres shared
  5. 2016 Sherpa Fire 7,466 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 6,962 acres shared
  6. 2016 Rey Fire 32,580 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 296 acres shared
  7. 2017 Whittier Fire 18,412 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 15,959 acres shared
  8. 2019 Real Fire 421 acres in total 379 acres shared
  9. 2021 Alisal Fire 16,953 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 16,521 acres shared

And 20 more fires that burned less of the same land. Acres are the land each fire shares with the Refugio 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