Volcano Fire

Wildfire in Placer and El Dorado counties, August 1960

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Printed October 28, 2026 from www.firezones.info/fire/1900/volcano-fire-1960

Key facts

Started August 20, 1960
Contained August 27, 1960, after 7 days
Burned 44,732 acres
2nd largest fire of 1960
Cause Smoking
Open map

Where it burned

Counties

  1. Placer County 42,605 acres
  2. El Dorado County 2,126 acres

Community

  1. Foresthill 1,085 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. 1909 Unnamed fire 896 acres shared
  2. 1910 Unnamed fire 2,253 acres shared
  3. 1910 Unnamed fire 770 acres in total 187 acres shared
  4. 1913 Unnamed fire 366 acres in total 234 acres shared
  5. 1916 Unnamed fire 293 acres shared
  6. 1917 Unnamed fire 498 acres shared
  7. 1923 Unnamed fire 190 acres shared
  8. 1924 Deadwood Fire 27,880 acres in total 14,886 acres shared
  9. 1924 Unnamed fire 222 acres shared
  10. 1926 Unnamed fire 2,641 acres in total 1,688 acres shared
  11. 1931 Unnamed fire 3,297 acres in total 1,694 acres shared
  12. 1936 Mckenzie Mill Fire 21,288 acres in total 9,402 acres shared
  13. 1939 Unnamed fire 523 acres shared
  14. 1939 Unnamed fire 523 acres shared
  15. 1949 Elliot Ranch Fire Cause: Lightning 342 acres shared
  16. 1959 Big Reservoir Fire Cause: Campfire 299 acres shared

Burned again

  1. 2003 Codfish Fire Cause: Lightning 841 acres shared
  2. 2006 Ralston Fire 8,421 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 764 acres shared
  3. 2008 Westville Fire 11,090 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 847 acres shared
  4. 2022 Mosquito Fire 76,771 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 18,971 acres shared

And 13 more fires that burned less of the same land. Acres are the land each fire shares with the Volcano 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