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

Key facts

Started	October 8, 2017
Contained	November 5, 2017, after 28 days
Burned	8,416 acres 32nd largest fire of 2017
Cause	Power lines
Buildings	6 destroyed, 1 damaged

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Where it burned

County

Butte County 8,414 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 6
Minor damage 10 to 25% damaged 1

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

1954 County Roadside #21 Fire 617 acres in total 605 acres shared
1954 Power Line #1 Fire 1,757 acres in total 470 acres shared
1963 Oro-Chico Rd. Fire 350 acres in total 25 acres shared
1964 W.p.r.r. #6a Fire 733 acres in total 598 acres shared
1964 South Table Fire 413 acres in total 44 acres shared
1973 Cherokee Rd. #6 Fire 728 acres in total 687 acres shared
1978 Cherokee Road #10 Fire 734 acres in total 444 acres shared
1994 Table Fire 1,132 acres in total · Cause: Railroad 31 acres shared
2016 Coal Fire 108 acres in total · Cause: Equipment use 79 acres shared

Acres are the land each fire shares with the Cherokee 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