Finley Fire

Wildfire in Tehama County, August 1990

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Printed October 28, 2026 from www.firezones.info/fire/4486/finley-fire-1990

Key facts

Started August 8, 1990
Contained August 17, 1990, after 9 days
Burned 35,862 acres
2nd largest fire of 1990
Cause Lightning
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Where it burned

County

  1. Tehama County 35,862 acres

Community

  1. Paynes Creek 492 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. 1921 Unnamed fire 626 acres in total 315 acres shared
  2. 1926 Unnamed fire 1,084 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 398 acres shared
  3. 1926 Unnamed fire 4,641 acres in total 326 acres shared
  4. 1931 Unnamed fire Cause: Miscellaneous 188 acres shared
  5. 1932 Unnamed fire 1,063 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 1,015 acres shared
  6. 1939 Paynes Creek Fire 10,529 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 4,110 acres shared
  7. 1941 Unnamed fire Cause: Miscellaneous 2,144 acres shared
  8. 1941 Unnamed fire Cause: Miscellaneous 845 acres shared
  9. 1943 Dales\\Soap Buttes Fire 17,351 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 209 acres shared
  10. 1943 Battle Creek Fire 1,080 acres in total 1,001 acres shared
  11. 1955 Highway 36 #1 Fire 890 acres in total 826 acres shared
  12. 1959 Hillhouse Fire 3,118 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 3,078 acres shared
  13. 1963 Deadhorse Fire 692 acres in total 314 acres shared
  14. 1973 Inskip Grade Fire 19,561 acres in total 295 acres shared

Burned again

  1. 1997 Ponderosa Fire Cause: Arson 878 acres shared
  2. 1999 Dehaven Fire 16,884 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 3,384 acres shared
  3. 2008 Antelope Fire 3,417 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 1,300 acres shared
  4. 2012 Ponderosa Fire 27,670 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 1,419 acres shared
  5. 2018 Lane Fire Cause: Arson 3,392 acres shared
  6. 2024 Park Fire 429,603 acres in total · Cause: Arson 30,973 acres shared

And 8 more fires that burned less of the same land. Acres are the land each fire shares with the Finley 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