Southern Fire (2021): burned area, damage and fire history

Key facts

Started	May 2, 2021
Contained	May 6, 2022, after 369 days
Burned	5,366 acres 20th largest fire of 2021
Cause	Equipment use
Buildings	3 destroyed, 0 damaged

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Where it burned

County

San Diego County 5,365 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 3

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

1941 Unnamed fire 2,785 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 26 acres shared
1942 Unnamed fire 14,221 acres in total 73 acres shared
1947 Unnamed fire 17,156 acres in total 2,292 acres shared
1989 Daley Fire 78 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 77 acres shared
1995 Oroflamme Fire 93 acres in total 31 acres shared
1995 Butterfield Fire 6,691 acres in total · Cause: Arson 675 acres shared
2002 Pines Fire 61,691 acres in total · Cause: Power lines 3,228 acres shared
2013 Chariot Fire 7,085 acres in total 323 acres shared

Burned again

2024 Great 3 Fire 187 acres in total · Cause: Equipment use 8 acres shared

Acres are the land each fire shares with the Southern 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