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

Key facts

Started	October 9, 2017
Contained	October 25, 2017, after 16 days
Burned	2,206 acres 55th largest fire of 2017
Cause	Not recorded
Buildings	162 destroyed, 8 damaged

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Where it burned

County

Lake County 2,204 acres

Community

Clearlake 751 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 162
Major damage 25 to 50% damaged 2
Affected Up to 10% damaged 6

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

1950 Edna Jone Fire 1,124 acres in total 203 acres shared
1957 Konocti Fire 439 acres in total 205 acres shared
1981 Sulphur Bank Fire 4,568 acres in total · Cause: Arson 474 acres shared
1992 Borax Fire 1,867 acres in total 534 acres shared
2013 Sulphur Fire Cause: Power lines 20 acres shared
2013 Lakeshore Fire 7 acres in total 5 acres shared

Acres are the land each fire shares with the Sulpher 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