Big Bear City

Summary

• Fire hazard severity zones

  Share of the land in each CAL FIRE hazard class

  Map
  1. Very High 6,506 acres · 6,505 state, 1 local 32%
  2. High 1,496 acres · State Responsibility Area 7%
  3. Moderate 235 acres · State Responsibility Area 1%
  4. Not mapped by CAL FIRE 12,257 acres · Mostly federal land 60%

  20,495 acres of land in all, 8,236 in the State Responsibility Area and 1 in the Local. State zones are the ones the State Fire Marshal designated, in effect since April 1, 2024. Local zones are CAL FIRE's 2025 recommendation, which each city or county adopts by ordinance and can make stricter. How to read fire zones

• Fire history

  The 10 largest of 12 fires that burned here

  Map
  1. 1961 Arrastre Fire 638 acres here
  2. 1949 Unnamed fire 377 acres here
  3. 2006 Arrastre Fire Cause: Lightning 363 acres here
  4. 1987 Unnamed fire 334 acres here
  5. 1975 Unnamed fire 317 acres here
  6. 1953 Unnamed fire 197 acres here
  7. 1979 Unnamed fire 130 acres here
  8. 1923 Unnamed fire 105 acres here
  9. 1950 Unnamed fire 418 acres in total 92 acres here
  10. 1973 Unnamed fire 82 acres in total 81 acres here

  And 2 smaller fires. The most recent was the 2022 Cactus Fire, which burned 26 acres here. In all, 2,639 acres of Big Bear City have burned. Acres are the land each fire burned here, and fires that crossed 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