Santa Barbara County

Summary

• Fire hazard severity zones

  Share of the land in each CAL FIRE hazard class

  Map
  1. Very High 511,524 acres · 502,784 state, 8,740 local 29%
  2. High 219,758 acres · 210,759 state, 8,999 local 12%
  3. Moderate 97,381 acres · 83,608 state, 13,773 local 6%
  4. Non-wildland 108,100 acres · Local Responsibility Area 6%
  5. Not mapped by CAL FIRE 823,377 acres · Mostly federal land 47%

  1,760,140 acres of land in all, 797,151 in the State Responsibility Area and 139,611 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 481 fires that burned here

  Map
  1. 2007 Zaca Fire 240,359 acres in total · Cause: Equipment use 224,072 acres here
  2. 1922 Unnamed fire Cause: Miscellaneous 114,745 acres here
  3. 2009 La Brea Fire Cause: Miscellaneous 97,815 acres here
  4. 1966 Wellman Fire Cause: Miscellaneous 97,117 acres here
  5. 1955 Refugio Fire Cause: Miscellaneous 79,429 acres here
  6. 1953 Big Dalton Fire 67,702 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 66,937 acres here
  7. 1964 Coyote Fire 65,339 acres here
  8. 1923 Unnamed fire Cause: Miscellaneous 61,870 acres here
  9. 2025 Gifford Fire 131,614 acres in total 47,951 acres here
  10. 2017 Thomas Fire 281,791 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 47,218 acres here

  And 471 smaller fires. The most recent was the 2025 Foothill Fire, which burned 45 acres here. In all, 919,951 acres of Santa Barbara 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