Mercy Fire

Wildfire in Merced and Fresno counties, 1996

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Printed October 28, 2026 from www.firezones.info/fire/5180/mercy-fire-1996

Key facts

Started Not recorded
Contained Not recorded
Burned 23,526 acres
5th largest fire of 1996
Cause Not recorded
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Where it burned

Counties

  1. Merced County 19,150 acres
  2. Fresno County 4,373 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. 1970 Mother's Day Fire 305 acres in total 105 acres shared
  2. 1974 Hamberg Fire 2,994 acres in total 1,073 acres shared
  3. 1993 Pg&E #4 Fire 9,373 acres in total 9,220 acres shared
  4. 1995 Nees Fire 1,829 acres in total 1,681 acres shared

Burned again

  1. 1998 Mercy Fire 4,958 acres in total · Cause: Vehicle 4,791 acres shared
  2. 2000 I-5 Fire 200 acres in total · Cause: Vehicle 190 acres shared
  3. 2004 I-5 Fire 54 acres in total · Cause: Vehicle 47 acres shared
  4. 2005 Dos Amigos Fire 746 acres in total · Cause: Vehicle 680 acres shared
  5. 2005 Laguna 2 Fire Cause: Vehicle 543 acres shared
  6. 2005 Cowpie Fire 4,983 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 3,891 acres shared
  7. 2005 Los Banos Fire Cause: Lightning 942 acres shared
  8. 2005 Laguna Fire 260 acres in total 254 acres shared
  9. 2011 Erreca Fire 568 acres in total · Cause: Vehicle 552 acres shared
  10. 2018 Nees Fire 1,739 acres in total · Cause: Equipment use 1,050 acres shared

Acres are the land each fire shares with the Mercy 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