Harlow Fire

Wildfire in Madera and Mariposa counties, July 1961

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Printed October 28, 2026 from www.firezones.info/fire/1943/harlow-fire-1961

Key facts

Started July 10, 1961
Contained Not recorded
Burned 43,331 acres
2nd largest fire of 1961
Cause Miscellaneous
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Where it burned

Counties

  1. Madera County 32,836 acres
  2. Mariposa County 10,489 acres

Communities

  1. Ahwahnee 7,162 acres
  2. Oakhurst 2,012 acres
  3. Nipinnawasee 1,667 acres
  4. Coarsegold 60 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. 1917 Unnamed fire 1,004 acres in total 802 acres shared
  2. 1922 Unnamed fire 1,492 acres shared
  3. 1922 Unnamed fire 1,181 acres in total 1,156 acres shared
  4. 1922 Unnamed fire 798 acres shared
  5. 1924 Unnamed fire 10,310 acres in total 6,009 acres shared
  6. 1926 Unnamed fire 1,715 acres in total 428 acres shared
  7. 1928 Unnamed fire 21,194 acres in total 18,271 acres shared
  8. 1945 Unnamed fire Cause: Miscellaneous 530 acres shared
  9. 1947 Unnamed fire Cause: Miscellaneous 555 acres shared
  10. 1950 Nelson Cove Fire Cause: Miscellaneous 505 acres shared
  11. 1951 Unnamed fire 634 acres in total 436 acres shared
  12. 1951 Oakhurst Fire 1,366 acres in total 1,327 acres shared
  13. 1951 Mocchi Fire 474 acres shared
  14. 1953 Delong Creek Fire 492 acres shared
  15. 1953 Indian Peak Fire 1,855 acres shared
  16. 1958 Unnamed fire 836 acres in total 442 acres shared
  17. 1958 Indian Peak Fire 432 acres shared
  18. 1959 Nelson Cove Fire 11,076 acres in total · Cause: Equipment use 7,479 acres shared

Burned again

  1. 1962 Bowers Fire 7,738 acres in total 789 acres shared
  2. 1996 Stumpfield Fire 3,710 acres in total 1,806 acres shared

And 14 more fires that burned less of the same land. Acres are the land each fire shares with the Harlow 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