Nelson Cove Fire

Wildfire in Mariposa and Madera counties, 1959

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Printed October 28, 2026 from www.firezones.info/fire/1868/nelson-cove-fire-1959

Key facts

Started Not recorded
Contained Not recorded
Burned 11,076 acres
10th largest fire of 1959
Cause Equipment use
Open map

Where it burned

Counties

  1. Mariposa County 9,027 acres
  2. Madera County 2,047 acres

Community

  1. Nipinnawasee 62 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. 1911 Unnamed fire 518 acres shared
  2. 1917 Unnamed fire 1,003 acres shared
  3. 1922 Unnamed fire 1,492 acres shared
  4. 1922 Unnamed fire 794 acres shared
  5. 1928 Unnamed fire 21,194 acres in total 8,242 acres shared
  6. 1934 Unnamed fire 304 acres in total 300 acres shared
  7. 1945 Unnamed fire Cause: Miscellaneous 530 acres shared
  8. 1947 Unnamed fire Cause: Miscellaneous 555 acres shared
  9. 1950 Nelson Cove Fire Cause: Miscellaneous 505 acres shared
  10. 1953 Delong Creek Fire 492 acres shared
  11. 1953 Indian Peak Fire 1,855 acres in total 438 acres shared
  12. 1954 Elliotts Corner Fire 537 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 27 acres shared
  13. 1958 Indian Peak Fire 432 acres in total 12 acres shared

Burned again

  1. 1961 Harlow Fire 43,331 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 7,479 acres shared
  2. 1968 Nelson Cove Fire 356 acres shared
  3. 1970 Watt Fire 83 acres in total · Cause: Smoking 82 acres shared
  4. 1996 Stumpfield Fire 3,710 acres in total 472 acres shared
  5. 2014 Bridge Fire 270 acres in total · Cause: Vehicle 62 acres shared
  6. 2024 Stumpfield Fire 8 acres in total · Cause: Arson 7 acres shared

Acres are the land each fire shares with the Nelson Cove 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