Schaeffer Fire (2017): burned area, damage and fire history

Key facts

Started	June 24, 2017
Contained	November 15, 2017, after 144 days
Burned	15,833 acres 23rd largest fire of 2017
Cause	Lightning

Open map

Where it burned

County

Tulare County 15,829 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

1917 Unnamed fire 487 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 432 acres shared
1918 Unnamed fire Cause: Miscellaneous 656 acres shared
1926 Unnamed fire 217 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 6 acres shared
1935 Unnamed fire Cause: Lightning 5 acres shared
1947 Unnamed fire 16 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 14 acres shared
1949 Unnamed fire Cause: Miscellaneous 11 acres shared
1955 Unnamed fire Cause: Lightning 48 acres shared
1975 Flat Fire 18,737 acres in total · Cause: Campfire 546 acres shared
1977 Bonita Fire 7,428 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 724 acres shared
1980 Unnamed fire Cause: Lightning 5 acres shared
1982 Unnamed fire Cause: Lightning 21 acres shared
2002 Mcnally Fire 149,475 acres in total · Cause: Campfire 15,446 acres shared

Burned again

2020 Castle Fire 170,648 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 3,897 acres shared

Acres are the land each fire shares with the Schaeffer 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