Fay Fire

Wildfire in Kern and Tulare counties, August 1987

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Printed October 28, 2026 from www.firezones.info/fire/4163/fay-fire-1987

Key facts

Started August 30, 1987
Contained September 5, 1987, after 6 days
Burned 12,153 acres
18th largest fire of 1987
Cause Lightning
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Where it burned

Counties

  1. Kern County 10,484 acres
  2. Tulare County 1,668 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. 1914 Unnamed fire Cause: Miscellaneous 8 acres shared
  2. 1926 Unnamed fire Cause: Miscellaneous 15 acres shared
  3. 1928 Unnamed fire 3,192 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 7 acres shared
  4. 1929 Unnamed fire 354 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 19 acres shared
  5. 1930 Unnamed fire 905 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 585 acres shared
  6. 1939 Unnamed fire Cause: Lightning 18 acres shared
  7. 1961 Unnamed fire Cause: Miscellaneous 37 acres shared
  8. 1984 Unnamed fire 945 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 222 acres shared
  9. 1984 Unnamed fire 937 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 222 acres shared
  10. 1984 Usfs #13 Fire 1,619 acres in total 97 acres shared
  11. 1984 Unnamed fire 482 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 67 acres shared
  12. 1984 Unnamed fire 901 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 784 acres shared

Burned again

  1. 2006 Fay Fire 33 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 2 acres shared
  2. 2006 Gibonney Fire 39 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 19 acres shared
  3. 2025 Fay Fire 648 acres in total 609 acres shared

Acres are the land each fire shares with the Fay 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