Creek Fire

Wildfire in Fresno and Madera counties, September 2020

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Printed October 28, 2026 from www.firezones.info/fire/8157/creek-fire-2020

Key facts

Started September 4, 2020
Contained December 24, 2020, after 111 days
Burned 379,842 acres
3rd largest fire of 2020 and 7th largest in California's records
Cause Not recorded
Buildings 858 destroyed, 71 damaged
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Where it burned

Counties

  1. Fresno County 191,766 acres
  2. Madera County 188,079 acres

Communities

  1. Shaver Lake 14,305 acres
  2. Auberry 9,672 acres
  3. North Fork 1,511 acres
  4. Big Creek 294 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 858
  2. Major damage 25 to 50% damaged 13
  3. Minor damage 10 to 25% damaged 16
  4. Affected Up to 10% damaged 42

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. 1916 Unnamed fire 6,240 acres in total 2,519 acres shared
  2. 1917 Unnamed fire 2,918 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 2,549 acres shared
  3. 1918 Unnamed fire 3,003 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 2,882 acres shared
  4. 1920 Unnamed fire Cause: Lightning 990 acres shared
  5. 1921 Unnamed fire 1,339 acres shared
  6. 1922 Unnamed fire 25,017 acres in total 10,917 acres shared
  7. 1922 Unnamed fire 1,109 acres shared
  8. 1924 Unnamed fire Cause: Lightning 4,077 acres shared
  9. 1927 Unnamed fire 6,270 acres in total 5,153 acres shared
  10. 1929 Unnamed fire 9,023 acres in total 1,591 acres shared
  11. 1931 Unnamed fire 7,165 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 2,700 acres shared
  12. 1932 Unnamed fire 7,391 acres in total 3,114 acres shared
  13. 1933 Unnamed fire 984 acres shared
  14. 1939 Unnamed fire 15,311 acres shared
  15. 1987 Chawanakee Fire Cause: Miscellaneous 1,487 acres shared
  16. 1989 Powderhouse Fire 11,800 acres in total · Cause: Arson 1,462 acres shared
  17. 1992 Italian Fire 2,157 acres in total · Cause: Equipment use 2,061 acres shared
  18. 1994 Big Creek Fire 5,703 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 5,644 acres shared
  19. 2013 Aspen Fire 22,938 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 17,978 acres shared
  20. 2014 French Fire Cause: Campfire 13,825 acres shared

And 124 more fires that burned less of the same land. Acres are the land each fire shares with the Creek 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