San Benito County

Summary

• Fire hazard severity zones

  Share of the land in each CAL FIRE hazard class

  Map
  1. Very High 398,601 acres · 398,228 state, 373 local 45%
  2. High 269,397 acres · 268,368 state, 1,029 local 30%
  3. Moderate 78,483 acres · 62,667 state, 15,816 local 9%
  4. Non-wildland 36,367 acres · Local Responsibility Area 4%
  5. Not mapped by CAL FIRE 106,850 acres · Mostly federal land 12%

  889,699 acres of land in all, 729,263 in the State Responsibility Area and 53,585 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 169 fires that burned here

  Map
  1. 1931 Unnamed fire 12,928 acres in total 12,384 acres here
  2. 1955 Burkett Fire 11,568 acres here
  3. 1950 Mack Fire 35,381 acres in total 10,974 acres here
  4. 1952 Melendy Fire 4,485 acres here
  5. 1953 101 Ranch Fire 4,464 acres here
  6. 1957 Stone Canyon Fire 4,280 acres in total 3,857 acres here
  7. 1981 Horse Valley Fire Cause: Equipment use 3,829 acres here
  8. 2008 Brown Fire Cause: Lightning 3,787 acres here
  9. 1974 Romo Fire 3,269 acres here
  10. 1998 Stonewall Fire 2,795 acres here

  And 159 smaller fires. The most recent was the 2025 Coach Fire, which burned 13 acres here. In all, 100,631 acres of San Benito 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