Barber Fire (1981): burned area, damage and fire history

Key facts

Started	June 15, 1981
Contained	Not recorded
Burned	12,163 acres 6th largest fire of 1981
Cause	Miscellaneous

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Where it burned

County

Riverside County 12,163 acres

Communities

Lake Riverside 1,910 acres
Aguanga 1,869 acres
Sage 37 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

1928 Unnamed fire 60,175 acres in total 3,645 acres shared
1980 Riverside Fire 362 acres in total 3 acres shared

Burned again

1989 Unnamed fire 176 acres shared
1993 Tribal Fire 2,199 acres in total · Cause: Equipment use 5 acres shared
1995 Highway Fire 103 acres in total 59 acres shared
1995 Stanley Fire 5,129 acres in total · Cause: Vehicle 7 acres shared
1996 Reed Fire 33 acres in total · Cause: Equipment use 29 acres shared
1997 Pauba Fire 7,101 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 104 acres shared
2004 Pleasure Fire 2,456 acres in total 2,313 acres shared
2004 School Fire 356 acres shared
2012 Bradford Fire 10 acres shared
2023 Highland Fire 2,487 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 703 acres shared

Acres are the land each fire shares with the Barber 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