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

Key facts

Started	August 18, 2020
Contained	September 6, 2020, after 19 days
Burned	6,997 acres 37th largest fire of 2020
Cause	Vehicle
Buildings	73 destroyed, 7 damaged

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Where it burned

County

Monterey County 6,997 acres

Community

Carmel Valley Village 38 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 73
Major damage 25 to 50% damaged 2
Affected Up to 10% damaged 5

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

1913 Unnamed fire 11,768 acres in total 8 acres shared
1951 Cachagua Fire 388 acres in total 161 acres shared
1974 Unnamed fire 2,652 acres in total · Cause: Arson 2,362 acres shared
2015 Tassajara Fire 1,076 acres in total · Cause: Arson 280 acres shared
2016 Soberanes Fire 132,104 acres in total · Cause: Campfire 383 acres shared

Acres are the land each fire shares with the Carmel 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