Ackerson Fire

Wildfire in Tuolumne County, August 1996

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Printed October 28, 2026 from www.firezones.info/fire/5114/ackerson-fire-1996

Key facts

Started August 14, 1996
Contained Not recorded
Burned 59,112 acres
3rd largest fire of 1996
Cause Lightning
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Where it burned

County

  1. Tuolumne County 59,105 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. 1908 Unnamed fire 4,627 acres in total 4,369 acres shared
  2. 1911 Unnamed fire 270 acres shared
  3. 1914 Unnamed fire 259 acres shared
  4. 1926 Unnamed fire 685 acres shared
  5. 1934 Unnamed fire 3,368 acres in total 2,739 acres shared
  6. 1934 North Mountain Fire Cause: Lightning 1,683 acres shared
  7. 1945 Unnamed fire 793 acres shared
  8. 1947 Unnamed fire 498 acres in total 283 acres shared
  9. 1950 Unnamed fire 672 acres shared
  10. 1953 Hetch Hetchy Fire 2,817 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 2,695 acres shared
  11. 1968 Poopenaut Fire Cause: Miscellaneous 1,104 acres shared
  12. 1973 Granite Fire 16,290 acres in total · Cause: Equipment use 639 acres shared
  13. 1987 Jarrel Fire Cause: Lightning 1,813 acres shared
  14. 1991 Frog Fire 1,731 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 406 acres shared
  15. 1991 Frog Creek Fire 1,312 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 298 acres shared

Burned again

  1. 2003 Tuolumne Wf Fire 1,763 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 268 acres shared
  2. 2007 Bald Wfu Fire Cause: Lightning 331 acres shared
  3. 2008 North Mtn Fire 2,964 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 2,623 acres shared
  4. 2009 Harden Fire 1,653 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 1,599 acres shared
  5. 2013 Rim Fire 256,176 acres in total · Cause: Campfire 56,851 acres shared

And 53 more fires that burned less of the same land. Acres are the land each fire shares with the Ackerson 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