Kern County

Summary

• Fire hazard severity zones

  Share of the land in each CAL FIRE hazard class

  Map
  1. Very High 649,622 acres · 646,215 state, 3,407 local 12%
  2. High 921,213 acres · 776,243 state, 144,970 local 18%
  3. Moderate 1,006,577 acres · 401,508 state, 605,068 local 19%
  4. Non-wildland 1,226,310 acres · Local Responsibility Area 23%
  5. Not mapped by CAL FIRE 1,421,704 acres · Mostly federal land 27%

  5,225,426 acres of land in all, 1,823,966 in the State Responsibility Area and 1,979,756 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 1,385 fires that burned here

  Map
  1. 2024 Borel Fire 59,288 acres here
  2. 2016 Erskine Fire 48,004 acres here
  3. 2008 Piute Fire Cause: Miscellaneous 37,346 acres here
  4. 1970 Rankin Ranch Fire Cause: Miscellaneous 35,976 acres here
  5. 1942 Unnamed fire Cause: Miscellaneous 26,977 acres here
  6. 1984 Bodfish Fire Cause: Debris burning 26,709 acres here
  7. 2021 French Fire 26,535 acres here
  8. 2011 Comanche Fire Cause: Lightning 25,935 acres here
  9. 1970 Red Mountain Fire Cause: Smoking 25,489 acres here
  10. 2011 Breckenridge Complex Cause: Lightning 25,219 acres here

  And 1,375 smaller fires. The most recent was the 2025 Lerdo Fire, which burned 6 acres here. In all, 823,661 acres of Kern County 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