Caldwell Fire

Wildfire in Siskiyou and Modoc counties, July 2020

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Printed October 28, 2026 from www.firezones.info/fire/8078/caldwell-fire-2020

Key facts

Started July 22, 2020
Contained September 1, 2020, after 41 days
Burned 81,225 acres
13th largest fire of 2020 and 71st largest in California's records
Cause Lightning
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Where it burned

Counties

  1. Siskiyou County 42,528 acres
  2. Modoc County 38,690 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. 1924 Indian Well Fire Cause: Miscellaneous 1,072 acres shared
  2. 1924 Sand Butte Fire Cause: Lightning 780 acres shared
  3. 1930 Couger Butte Fire Cause: Miscellaneous 1,185 acres shared
  4. 1938 Lava Beds Fire 3,073 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 1,819 acres shared
  5. 1938 Big Sand But Fire Cause: Lightning 856 acres shared
  6. 1938 Hospital Roc Fire Cause: Miscellaneous 14,117 acres shared
  7. 1941 Mammoth Fire 15,607 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 4,306 acres shared
  8. 1944 Twin Sister Fire 4,497 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 4,452 acres shared
  9. 1950 Panhandle Fire Cause: Miscellaneous 586 acres shared
  10. 1950 Mammoth Fire 7,061 acres in total 2,107 acres shared
  11. 1954 Twin Sister Fire 3,893 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 1,945 acres shared
  12. 1957 Milepost 40 Fire 12,183 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 3,342 acres shared
  13. 1971 Twin Fire 3,359 acres in total · Cause: Railroad 719 acres shared
  14. 1975 Scorpion Fire Cause: Railroad 1,459 acres shared
  15. 2003 Ackley Fire 9,599 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 2,248 acres shared
  16. 2008 Jack Fire 6,068 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 4,852 acres shared
  17. 2011 Mammoth Fire 1,193 acres in total · Cause: Railroad 1,179 acres shared

Burned again

  1. 2021 Antelope Fire 145,632 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 792 acres shared
  2. 2025 Mammoth Fire 2,534 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 1,662 acres shared
  3. 2025 Mountain Fire 980 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 926 acres shared

And 34 more fires that burned less of the same land. Acres are the land each fire shares with the Caldwell 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