Valley Fire

Wildfire in San Diego County, September 2020

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Printed October 28, 2026 from www.firezones.info/fire/8159/valley-fire-2020

Key facts

Started September 5, 2020
Contained September 24, 2020, after 19 days
Burned 16,390 acres
28th largest fire of 2020
Cause Not recorded
Buildings 64 destroyed, 11 damaged
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Where it burned

County

  1. San Diego County 16,387 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 64
  2. Major damage 25 to 50% damaged 2
  3. Minor damage 10 to 25% damaged 3
  4. Affected Up to 10% damaged 6

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. 1915 Unnamed fire 4,836 acres in total 1,236 acres shared
  2. 1915 Unnamed fire 157 acres shared
  3. 1923 Unnamed fire 963 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 890 acres shared
  4. 1925 Unnamed fire 482 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 177 acres shared
  5. 1943 Unnamed fire 5,983 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 1,608 acres shared
  6. 1943 Unnamed fire 13,707 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 1,216 acres shared
  7. 1950 Unnamed fire Cause: Lightning 258 acres shared
  8. 1952 Carve Acre Fire 1,221 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 126 acres shared
  9. 1953 Bronco Flats Fire 8,817 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 1,290 acres shared
  10. 1959 Unnamed fire Cause: Miscellaneous 496 acres shared
  11. 1959 Unnamed fire 295 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 196 acres shared
  12. 1959 Outside Origin #18 Fire 790 acres in total 149 acres shared
  13. 1967 Pine Creek Fire Cause: Lightning 328 acres shared
  14. 1970 Laguna Fire 174,162 acres in total · Cause: Campfire 16,386 acres shared
  15. 1984 Barrett Fire Cause: Campfire 134 acres shared
  16. 1992 Loveland Fire 2,081 acres in total 125 acres shared
  17. 2000 Lyons Fire 495 acres in total · Cause: Arson 191 acres shared
  18. 2001 Viejas Fire 10,438 acres in total · Cause: Smoking 365 acres shared
  19. 2005 Skye Fire Cause: Illegal campfire 230 acres shared
  20. 2006 Horse Fire 16,678 acres in total · Cause: Campfire 6,352 acres shared

And 13 more fires that burned less of the same land. Acres are the land each fire shares with the Valley 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