Lake Elsinore

Summary

• Fire hazard severity zones

  Share of the land in each CAL FIRE hazard class

  Map
  1. Very High 19,635 acres · 28 state, 19,607 local 70%
  2. High 1,336 acres · Local Responsibility Area 5%
  3. Moderate 1,038 acres · 1 state, 1,037 local 4%
  4. Non-wildland 5,563 acres · Local Responsibility Area 20%
  5. Not mapped by CAL FIRE 296 acres · Mostly federal land 1%

  27,868 acres of land in all, 29 in the State Responsibility Area and 27,543 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 50 fires that burned here

  Map
  1. 1944 Unnamed fire 12,473 acres in total 3,612 acres here
  2. 1978 Lemon Fire 2,943 acres in total 1,923 acres here
  3. 1978 Unnamed fire 3,416 acres in total 1,800 acres here
  4. 2004 Cerrito Fire 16,447 acres in total · Cause: Playing with fire 1,409 acres here
  5. 1981 Dexter Fire 1,350 acres in total 1,302 acres here
  6. 2018 Holy Fire 23,025 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 1,284 acres here
  7. 1945 Unnamed fire 6,839 acres in total 1,274 acres here
  8. 1956 Cornwell Fire 3,173 acres in total 1,236 acres here
  9. 1983 Canyon Fire 1,220 acres here
  10. 1970 Terrace Hill Fire 1,848 acres in total 578 acres here

  And 40 smaller fires. The most recent was the 2025 Crump Fire, which burned 55 acres here. In all, 12,029 acres of Lake Elsinore 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