Pilliken Fire (1973): burned area, damage and fire history

Key facts

Started	August 17, 1973
Contained	August 26, 1973, after 9 days
Burned	10,316 acres 8th largest fire of 1973
Cause	Arson

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Where it burned

County

El Dorado County 10,313 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

1919 West Sherman Ck Fire 33 acres in total 25 acres shared
1927 Unnamed fire 312 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 6 acres shared
1929 Unnamed fire Cause: Miscellaneous 42 acres shared
1929 Clease Fire 119 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 21 acres shared
1932 Unnamed fire 7,481 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 735 acres shared

Burned again

1992 Cleveland Fire 22,519 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 1,674 acres shared
1995 Mill Fire Cause: Debris burning 103 acres shared
2002 Plum Fire 1,762 acres in total · Cause: Debris burning 50 acres shared
2011 Sugarloaf Fire 31 acres in total · Cause: Debris burning 3 acres shared
2016 Alder Fire 25 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 24 acres shared
2021 Caldor Fire 221,786 acres in total 10,313 acres shared

Acres are the land each fire shares with the Pilliken 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