Indian Fire

Wildfire in Orange and Riverside counties, November 1980

Search for an address

Printed October 28, 2026 from www.firezones.info/fire/3455/indian-fire-1980

Key facts

Started November 24, 1980
Contained Not recorded
Burned 28,940 acres
3rd largest fire of 1980
Cause Miscellaneous
Open map

Where it burned

Counties

  1. Orange County 25,078 acres
  2. Riverside County 3,866 acres

Communities

  1. Rancho Santa Margarita 1,360 acres
  2. Trabuco Canyon 802 acres
  3. Temescal Valley 680 acres
  4. Coto de Caza 619 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. 1915 Unnamed fire 722 acres in total 519 acres shared
  2. 1917 Unnamed fire 140 acres shared
  3. 1921 Unnamed fire 412 acres shared
  4. 1922 Unnamed fire 151 acres shared
  5. 1923 Unnamed fire 2,150 acres in total 2,118 acres shared
  6. 1925 Unnamed fire 8,650 acres in total 296 acres shared
  7. 1926 Unnamed fire 9,935 acres in total 577 acres shared
  8. 1943 Unnamed fire 1,930 acres in total 563 acres shared
  9. 1954 Jameson Fire 7,881 acres in total 2,265 acres shared
  10. 1958 Steward Fire 68,106 acres in total 8,227 acres shared
  11. 1966 Indian Fire 1,405 acres in total 697 acres shared
  12. 1968 Unnamed fire 688 acres in total 380 acres shared
  13. 1968 Cow Fire 536 acres in total 219 acres shared

Burned again

  1. 1987 Silverado Fire 7,693 acres in total · Cause: Arson 143 acres shared
  2. 1993 Ortega Fire 21,012 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 562 acres shared
  3. 2007 Santiago Fire 28,430 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 532 acres shared
  4. 2016 Holy Fire Cause: Miscellaneous 146 acres shared
  5. 2018 Holy Fire 23,025 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 7,946 acres shared
  6. 2022 Jim Fire 553 acres in total 519 acres shared
  7. 2024 Airport Fire 23,526 acres in total · Cause: Equipment use 14,122 acres shared

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