Powderhouse Fire

Wildfire in Fresno and Madera counties, July 1989

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Printed October 28, 2026 from www.firezones.info/fire/4406/powderhouse-fire-1989

Key facts

Started July 28, 1989
Contained August 3, 1989, after 6 days
Burned 11,800 acres
3rd largest fire of 1989
Cause Arson
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Where it burned

Counties

  1. Fresno County 9,303 acres
  2. Madera County 2,494 acres

Community

  1. Auberry 8,608 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. 1911 Unnamed fire 3,295 acres in total 2,484 acres shared
  2. 1917 Unnamed fire 919 acres in total 697 acres shared
  3. 1921 Unnamed fire 6,349 acres in total 664 acres shared
  4. 1922 Unnamed fire 25,017 acres in total 2,484 acres shared
  5. 1927 Unnamed fire 6,270 acres in total 2,540 acres shared
  6. 1928 Unnamed fire 2,264 acres in total 2,140 acres shared
  7. 1930 Unnamed fire 2,309 acres in total 346 acres shared
  8. 1955 Unnamed fire 251 acres in total 225 acres shared
  9. 1955 Backbone Fire 317 acres in total 271 acres shared
  10. 1964 Unnamed fire 178 acres shared
  11. 1968 Unnamed fire Cause: Miscellaneous 110 acres shared
  12. 1970 Long Ridge Fire 598 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 321 acres shared
  13. 1973 Horseshoe Fire Cause: Lightning 835 acres shared
  14. 1985 Backbone Fire 242 acres in total · Cause: Equipment use 232 acres shared
  15. 1988 Unnamed fire 175 acres shared

Burned again

  1. 1994 Powerhouse 2 Fire 442 acres in total · Cause: Arson 436 acres shared
  2. 1995 Powerhouse #2/#3 Fire 624 acres in total · Cause: Arson 617 acres shared
  3. 2000 Highway Fire 654 acres in total · Cause: Arson 217 acres shared
  4. 2020 Creek Fire 379,842 acres in total 1,462 acres shared
  5. 2022 Power Fire Cause: Vehicle 134 acres shared

And 15 more fires that burned less of the same land. Acres are the land each fire shares with the Powderhouse 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