Merced County

Summary

• Fire hazard severity zones

  Share of the land in each CAL FIRE hazard class

  Map
  1. Very High 109,390 acres · State Responsibility Area 9%
  2. High 190,155 acres · 188,350 state, 1,805 local 15%
  3. Moderate 193,308 acres · 96,561 state, 96,747 local 15%
  4. Non-wildland 697,388 acres · Local Responsibility Area 55%
  5. Not mapped by CAL FIRE 76,003 acres · Mostly federal land 6%

  1,266,243 acres of land in all, 394,302 in the State Responsibility Area and 795,939 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 120 fires that burned here

  Map
  1. 1996 Mercy Fire 23,526 acres in total 19,150 acres here
  2. 1993 Pg&E #4 Fire 9,373 acres here
  3. 1998 Mercy Fire Cause: Vehicle 4,957 acres here
  4. 1974 Old Mill Fire 4,738 acres here
  5. 1951 Merced #7 Fire 4,252 acres here
  6. 2020 Scu Lightning Complex 396,824 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 3,766 acres here
  7. 2018 Planada Fire 4,564 acres in total · Cause: Equipment use 3,154 acres here
  8. 1968 Engineers Road Fire 8,074 acres in total 3,106 acres here
  9. 1967 Goman Fire 3,079 acres here
  10. 1992 La Paloma Fire 2,515 acres here

  And 110 smaller fires. The most recent was the 2025 18-1 Fire, which burned 463 acres here. In all, 82,313 acres of Merced 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