Meiss Fire

Wildfire in Sacramento, San Joaquin and Amador counties, June 1981

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Printed October 28, 2026 from www.firezones.info/fire/3496/meiss-fire-1981

Key facts

Started June 14, 1981
Contained Not recorded
Burned 14,126 acres
5th largest fire of 1981
Cause Miscellaneous
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Where it burned

Counties

  1. Sacramento County 11,402 acres
  2. San Joaquin County 1,619 acres
  3. Amador County 1,101 acres

Community

  1. Wilton 125 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. 1950 Questo Ranch Fire 878 acres in total 777 acres shared

Burned again

  1. 2002 Twin Fire 322 acres in total · Cause: Arson 199 acres shared
  2. 2005 Twin Fire Cause: Vehicle 103 acres shared
  3. 2020 Clay Fire 740 acres in total · Cause: Smoking 288 acres shared

Acres are the land each fire shares with the Meiss 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