San Luis Obispo County

Summary

• Fire hazard severity zones

  Share of the land in each CAL FIRE hazard class

  Map
  1. Very High 600,412 acres · 587,686 state, 12,726 local 28%
  2. High 824,146 acres · 794,860 state, 29,286 local 39%
  3. Moderate 177,228 acres · 146,008 state, 31,220 local 8%
  4. Non-wildland 52,435 acres · Local Responsibility Area 2%
  5. Not mapped by CAL FIRE 471,953 acres · Mostly federal land 22%

  2,126,173 acres of land in all, 1,528,554 in the State Responsibility Area and 125,666 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 701 fires that burned here

  Map
  1. 1996 Highway 58 Fire Cause: Miscellaneous 106,966 acres here
  2. 1985 Las Pilitas Fire Cause: Equipment use 84,271 acres here
  3. 2025 Gifford Fire 131,614 acres in total 83,590 acres here
  4. 2025 Madre Fire 80,745 acres here
  5. 1921 Unnamed fire Cause: Miscellaneous 63,906 acres here
  6. 1960 Weferling Fire 51,368 acres here
  7. 1994 Hwy 41 Fire Cause: Arson 50,729 acres here
  8. 1997 Logan Fire Cause: Miscellaneous 49,046 acres here
  9. 2016 Chimney Fire 46,234 acres in total · Cause: Vehicle 41,996 acres here
  10. 1939 Unnamed fire Cause: Miscellaneous 28,312 acres here

  And 691 smaller fires. The most recent was the 2025 Estrella Fire, which burned 7 acres here. In all, 727,144 acres of San Luis Obispo 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