Head Fire

Wildfire in Siskiyou County, August 2023

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Printed October 28, 2026 from www.firezones.info/fire/8402/head-fire-2023

Key facts

Started August 15, 2023
Contained September 7, 2023, after 23 days
Burned 6,954 acres
9th largest fire of 2023
Cause Lightning
Buildings 10 destroyed, 3 damaged
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Where it burned

County

  1. Siskiyou County 6,947 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 10
  2. Major damage 25 to 50% damaged 1
  3. Affected Up to 10% damaged 2

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. 1938 Tom Martin Creek Fire 15 acres in total · Cause: Smoking 12 acres shared
  2. 1952 Mill Creek Fire 86 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 31 acres shared
  3. 1956 Steelhead Fire 409 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 309 acres shared
  4. 1985 Sarah Totten Fire 20 acres in total · Cause: Smoking 13 acres shared
  5. 2012 Bill Fire 44 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 26 acres shared
  6. 2014 River Fire Cause: Miscellaneous 16 acres shared
  7. 2014 Frying Pan Fire 133,177 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 2,289 acres shared
  8. 2016 Gap Fire 33,011 acres in total · Cause: Arson 825 acres shared
  9. 2019 Bar Fire 92 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 5 acres shared

Acres are the land each fire shares with the Head 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