Scarface Fire

Wildfire in Modoc and Siskiyou counties, August 1977

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Printed October 28, 2026 from www.firezones.info/fire/3060/scarface-fire-1977

Key facts

Started August 2, 1977
Contained August 12, 1977, after 10 days
Burned 78,191 acres
2nd largest fire of 1977 and 75th largest in California's records
Cause Lightning
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Where it burned

Counties

  1. Modoc County 69,412 acres
  2. Siskiyou County 8,782 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. 1910 Glass Mountain Fire 146,968 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 14,779 acres shared
  2. 1917 Unnamed fire Cause: Lightning 40 acres shared
  3. 1918 Unnamed fire Cause: Lightning 36 acres shared
  4. 1919 Unnamed fire 232 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 183 acres shared
  5. 1919 Unnamed fire Cause: Miscellaneous 29 acres shared
  6. 1920 Unnamed fire 304 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 271 acres shared
  7. 1924 Unnamed fire Cause: Lightning 524 acres shared
  8. 1924 Unnamed fire 84 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 56 acres shared
  9. 1924 Upper Mud Sp Fire 3,447 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 2,177 acres shared
  10. 1943 Unnamed fire Cause: Miscellaneous 386 acres shared
  11. 1949 Unnamed fire 69 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 68 acres shared
  12. 1949 Unnamed fire Cause: Miscellaneous 52 acres shared
  13. 1950 Porcupine Fire 12,633 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 3,620 acres shared
  14. 1955 Unnamed fire Cause: Lightning 24 acres shared

Burned again

  1. 1987 Quaking Fire 4,812 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 30 acres shared
  2. 1987 Lightning #120 (Crank) Fire 4,076 acres in total 150 acres shared
  3. 1996 Damon/Long Fire 23,380 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 376 acres shared
  4. 2006 High Fire 1,053 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 493 acres shared
  5. 2009 Upper Fire Cause: Lightning 35 acres shared
  6. 2015 Frog Fire 4,862 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 886 acres shared

And 10 more fires that burned less of the same land. Acres are the land each fire shares with the Scarface 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