Red Salmon Complex

Wildfire in Humboldt, Trinity and Siskiyou counties, July 2020

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Printed October 28, 2026 from www.firezones.info/fire/8084/red-salmon-complex-2020

Key facts

Started July 27, 2020
Contained November 19, 2020, after 115 days
Burned 143,836 acres
8th largest fire of 2020 and 33rd largest in California's records
Cause Lightning
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Where it burned

Counties

  1. Humboldt County 53,191 acres
  2. Trinity County 52,517 acres
  3. Siskiyou County 38,099 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. 1910 Mill Creek Fire 597 acres in total 528 acres shared
  2. 1911 Unnamed fire 1,289 acres shared
  3. 1917 Packsaddle Fire 337 acres shared
  4. 1918 Red Cap Fire Cause: Lightning 482 acres shared
  5. 1919 Unnamed fire 4,818 acres in total 223 acres shared
  6. 1925 Salmon Summit Fire Cause: Lightning 2,124 acres shared
  7. 1938 Red Cap Fire 14,740 acres shared
  8. 1951 Unnamed fire 8,289 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 1,358 acres shared
  9. 1961 Mile Fire Cause: Lightning 3,073 acres shared
  10. 1977 Hog Fire 58,365 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 8,998 acres shared
  11. 1987 Hotelling Fire Cause: Lightning 16,543 acres shared
  12. 1999 Megram Fire 125,073 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 73,255 acres shared
  13. 2006 Bake-Oven Fire 65,050 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 10,080 acres shared
  14. 2008 Carey Fire 3,714 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 2,434 acres shared
  15. 2009 Lt-17(Backbone) Fire Cause: Lightning 5,192 acres shared
  16. 2009 Redspot Fire Cause: Lightning 1,128 acres shared
  17. 2009 Trinity Fire Cause: Lightning 391 acres shared
  18. 2013 Butler Fire 22,445 acres in total · Cause: Arson 917 acres shared
  19. 2013 Corral Fire 12,541 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 8,109 acres shared
  20. 2015 Happy Fire 68,095 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 214 acres shared

And 37 more fires that burned less of the same land. Acres are the land each fire shares with the Red Salmon Complex, 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