Pickett Fire (2015): burned area, damage and fire history

Key facts

Started	July 30, 2015
Contained	September 1, 2015, after 33 days
Burned	11,013 acres 17th largest fire of 2015
Cause	Lightning

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Where it burned

County

Trinity County 11,010 acres

Communities

Ruth 4,164 acres
Mad River 654 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

1913 Unnamed fire 3 acres shared
1935 Dutchman Fire Cause: Debris burning 11 acres shared
1938 Unnamed fire Cause: Lightning 357 acres shared
1938 Unnamed fire 75 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 49 acres shared
1938 Pickett Fire Cause: Lightning 243 acres shared
1938 Ridge Fire 128 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 102 acres shared
1940 Pop Hutchins Fire Cause: Smoking 27 acres shared
1944 Hobart Fire 5 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 4 acres shared
1960 Pickett Fire 8 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 7 acres shared
1992 Dam Fire 6 acres in total · Cause: Arson 5 acres shared
1994 Unnamed fire 17 acres in total · Cause: Arson 9 acres shared
2000 Journey Fire 1,010 acres in total · Cause: Arson 905 acres shared

Burned again

2020 August Complex 1,032,700 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 6,438 acres shared

Acres are the land each fire shares with the Pickett 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