Whaleback Fire

Wildfire in Lassen County, August 2018

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Printed October 28, 2026 from www.firezones.info/fire/7863/whaleback-fire-2018

Key facts

Started August 5, 2018
Contained August 6, 2018, after 1 day
Burned 18,702 acres
15th largest fire of 2018
Cause Not recorded
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Where it burned

County

  1. Lassen County 18,699 acres

Community

  1. Spaulding 1,099 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

  1. 1918 Unnamed fire 571 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 39 acres shared
  2. 1924 Unnamed fire 6,798 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 2,864 acres shared
  3. 1926 Unnamed fire Cause: Lightning 215 acres shared
  4. 1926 Unnamed fire Cause: Miscellaneous 204 acres shared
  5. 1955 Unnamed fire 17,904 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 11,337 acres shared
  6. 1969 Unnamed fire 746 acres in total 640 acres shared
  7. 2009 Whaleback Fire Cause: Lightning 36 acres shared

Acres are the land each fire shares with the Whaleback 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