August Complex

Wildfire in Trinity, Tehama, Mendocino, Glenn and Lake counties, August 2020

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Printed October 28, 2026 from www.firezones.info/fire/8119/august-complex-2020

Key facts

Started August 16, 2020
Contained November 11, 2020, after 87 days
Burned 1,032,700 acres
Largest fire of 2020 and largest in California's records
Cause Lightning
Buildings 89 destroyed, 10 damaged
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Where it burned

Counties

  1. Trinity County 387,007 acres
  2. Tehama County 218,679 acres
  3. Mendocino County 192,302 acres
  4. Glenn County 188,848 acres
  5. Lake County 44,476 acres
  6. Shasta County 1,341 acres
  7. Colusa County 51 acres

Communities

  1. Ruth 22,169 acres
  2. Mad River 428 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

  1. Destroyed Over 50% damaged 89
  2. Major damage 25 to 50% damaged 2
  3. Minor damage 10 to 25% damaged 4
  4. Affected Up to 10% 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

  1. 1922 Grindstone Fire Cause: Miscellaneous 39,806 acres shared
  2. 1924 Thoms Creek Fire 6,170 acres shared
  3. 1932 Horse Pasture Ridge Fire 8,423 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 7,042 acres shared
  4. 1944 Boardman Fire 19,510 acres in total · Cause: Equipment use 9,681 acres shared
  5. 1947 Bayless Fire Cause: Miscellaneous 4,370 acres shared
  6. 1951 Boardman Ridge Fire 6,676 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 6,587 acres shared
  7. 1966 Horse Fire 6,974 acres in total · Cause: Campfire 5,158 acres shared
  8. 1976 Skinner Mill Fire 89,133 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 30,075 acres shared
  9. 1987 Flume Fire 12,617 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 8,582 acres shared
  10. 1987 Travis Fire Cause: Lightning 11,042 acres shared
  11. 1987 Mendenhall Fire 65,468 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 50,994 acres shared
  12. 1988 Hermit Fire 8,147 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 5,052 acres shared
  13. 2003 Spanish Fire Cause: Campfire 6,050 acres shared
  14. 2006 Hunter Fire Cause: Lightning 16,234 acres shared
  15. 2008 Yellow Fire 31,933 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 30,562 acres shared
  16. 2008 Iron Fire 30,660 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 18,571 acres shared
  17. 2008 Grouse Fire 6,324 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 5,999 acres shared
  18. 2008 Vinegar Fire 14,544 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 10,223 acres shared
  19. 2012 North Pass Fire 41,813 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 22,809 acres shared
  20. 2015 Pickett Fire 11,013 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 6,438 acres shared

And 335 more fires that burned less of the same land. Acres are the land each fire shares with the August 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