Wheeler Fire (2007): burned area, damage and fire history

Key facts

Started	July 5, 2007
Contained	July 21, 2007, after 16 days
Burned	22,332 acres 11th largest fire of 2007
Cause	Lightning

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Where it burned

County

Plumas County 22,329 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

1918 Unnamed fire 681 acres in total 573 acres shared
1920 Unnamed fire 2,280 acres in total 2,085 acres shared
1981 Elephant Fire 6,852 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 1,945 acres shared
2001 Stream Fire 3,526 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 1,264 acres shared
2004 Cottonwood Fire 567 acres in total · Cause: Debris burning 6 acres shared
2006 Hungry Fire 512 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 94 acres shared
2006 Sage Fire Cause: Lightning 17 acres shared
2006 Indian Fire Cause: Lightning 16 acres shared
2006 Boulder Complex 34 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 9 acres shared
2006 Boulder Fire 2,919 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 7 acres shared

Burned again

2019 Walker Fire 54,615 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 12,195 acres shared
2021 Dixie Fire 963,405 acres in total · Cause: Power lines 3,669 acres shared

Acres are the land each fire shares with the Wheeler 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