Cherry Fire (1985): burned area, damage and fire history

Key facts

Started	July 8, 1985
Contained	Not recorded
Burned	40,642 acres 5th largest fire of 1985
Cause	Arson

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Where it burned

County

Monterey County 40,640 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

1920 Unnamed fire 680 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 39 acres shared
1951 Espinosa Canyon #2 Fire 1,624 acres in total 1,372 acres shared
1951 Kent Canyon Fire 6,754 acres in total 6,467 acres shared
1955 Pale Canyon Fire 676 acres shared
1957 Lockwood Grade Fire 2,571 acres in total 51 acres shared
1967 Merritt Fire 739 acres shared
1971 P.g.&E. #10 Fire 2,272 acres shared
1971 Barbree #2 Fire 266 acres shared

Burned again

1988 Lockwood Fire Cause: Equipment use 127 acres shared
2008 Indians Fire 76,460 acres in total · Cause: Campfire 121 acres shared
2011 Argyle Fire Cause: Campfire 135 acres shared
2012 Jolon Fire 12 acres in total · Cause: Escaped prescribed burn 6 acres shared
2012 Davis Fire 50 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 36 acres shared
2024 Argyle Fire 88 acres in total 87 acres shared

Acres are the land each fire shares with the Cherry 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