Gold Fire (2020): burned area, damage and fire history

Key facts

Started	July 20, 2020
Contained	October 29, 2020, after 101 days
Burned	22,653 acres 25th largest fire of 2020
Cause	Not recorded
Buildings	13 destroyed, 5 damaged

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Where it burned

County

Lassen County 22,635 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 13
Major damage 25 to 50% damaged 1
Minor damage 10 to 25% damaged 4

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

1920 Unnamed fire 180 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 176 acres shared
1928 Unnamed fire 185 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 132 acres shared
2004 Butte Fire Cause: Lightning 14 acres shared
2007 Willow Fire Cause: Lightning 73 acres shared
2009 Flat Fire Cause: Lightning 62 acres shared

Acres are the land each fire shares with the Gold 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