Clayton Fire (2016): burned area, damage and fire history

Key facts

Started	August 13, 2016
Contained	August 16, 2016, after 3 days
Burned	3,928 acres 20th largest fire of 2016
Cause	Arson
Buildings	300 destroyed, 27 damaged

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Where it burned

County

Lake County 3,925 acres

Communities

Lower Lake 903 acres
Clearlake 220 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.

Buildings damaged

Destroyed Over 50% damaged 300
Major damage 25 to 50% damaged 8
Minor damage 10 to 25% damaged 11
Affected Up to 10% damaged 8

Buildings CAL FIRE inspected after the fire, by how badly each was damaged. Inspectors record homes, businesses and outbuildings within 100 meters of the fire, and cannot always reach every one, so the counts can differ slightly from other reports.

The same land, other fires

Burned before

1952 Unnamed fire 1,288 acres in total 174 acres shared
1967 39th Street Fire 3,399 acres in total 706 acres shared
1983 Morgan Valley Fire 471 acres in total · Cause: Arson 251 acres shared
2000 Morgan Fire 3,316 acres in total · Cause: Equipment use 325 acres shared
2013 Dam Fire 23 acres in total 22 acres shared
2015 Rocky Fire 69,438 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 18 acres shared

Acres are the land each fire shares with the Clayton 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