Deer Fire

Wildfire in Fresno County, September 1986

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Printed October 31, 2026 from www.firezones.org/fire/4062/deer-fire-1986

Key facts

Started September 9, 1986
Contained September 20, 1986, after 11 days
Burned 12,410 acres
Largest fire of 1986
Cause Smoking
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Where it burned

County

  1. Fresno County 12,410 acres

Acres are the land the fire burned in each county and community, and places where it burned less than an acre are not listed. Communities are cities, towns and the unincorporated places the Census Bureau names, so land outside any of them is counted only in its county. A few city neighborhoods, such as Pacific Palisades, are listed too, and their land is also counted in their city.

The same land, other fires

Burned before

  1. 1911 Unnamed fire 326 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 286 acres shared
  2. 1917 Unnamed fire 442 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 27 acres shared
  3. 1921 Unnamed fire 1,258 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 912 acres shared
  4. 1925 Unnamed fire 271 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 91 acres shared
  5. 1928 Unnamed fire 22,144 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 2 acres shared
  6. 1931 Unnamed fire 488 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 48 acres shared
  7. 1960 Unnamed fire 79 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 57 acres shared
  8. 1961 Unnamed fire 19,430 acres in total · Cause: Miscellaneous 3 acres shared
  9. 1966 Unnamed fire 4,619 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 2,095 acres shared
  10. 1980 Rodgers Fire Cause: Miscellaneous 1,829 acres shared
  11. 1980 Garlic Fire Cause: Miscellaneous 59 acres shared

Burned again

  1. 1988 Garnet Fire 2,245 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 1,273 acres shared
  2. 1994 Garlic Fire Cause: Lightning 703 acres shared
  3. 1998 Rough Fire Cause: Campfire 891 acres shared
  4. 2015 Rough Fire 151,547 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 12,410 acres shared
  5. 2025 Garnet Fire 60,019 acres in total · Cause: Lightning 1,411 acres shared

Acres are the land each fire shares with the Deer Fire, and fires that shared 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

Sources

Fire history
CAL FIRE Fire and Resource Assessment Program
Published July 28, 2026
Building damage
CAL FIRE Damage Inspection
Updated October 19, 2026

This site is independent and not affiliated with CAL FIRE, so for an official determination, check with the agency or your city or county. How we read the data