Choctaw Fire (1997): burned area, damage and fire history

Key facts

Started	August 19, 1997
Contained	Not recorded
Burned	10,522 acres 4th largest fire of 1997
Cause	Arson

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Where it burned

County

Kern County 10,520 acres

Communities

Bakersfield 3,046 acres
Choctaw Valley 1,141 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

1964 Louis V. Olcese Est. Fire 268 acres shared
1970 Power House Fire 918 acres in total 664 acres shared
1993 Mebane Fire Cause: Playing with fire 519 acres shared
1994 Paladino Fire Cause: Miscellaneous 137 acres shared
1995 Outlaw Fire 339 acres in total · Cause: Arson 229 acres shared

Burned again

2001 Choctaw Fire 600 acres shared
2009 Round Fire Cause: Vehicle 89 acres shared
2009 Round Fire Cause: Vehicle 278 acres shared
2011 Lightning Fire 551 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 542 acres shared
2012 Choctaw Fire 1 acre shared
2016 Hartinc Fire 2 acres shared
2017 Ming Fire 450 acres in total 439 acres shared
2021 Mountain Fire 16 acres shared
2023 East Fire 1,290 acres shared
2024 Rio Fire 9 acres shared
2024 Susan Fire 5 acres shared

Acres are the land each fire shares with the Choctaw 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