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The Los Angeles Fire Safe Council

Wildfires in Los Angeles County

Big Fires

Until the 1870’s, wildfires (as today, mostly accidently or purposely human-caused) in the mountains north of Los Angeles were considered more of an attraction than a threat, especially at night. They were fondly described as “tongues of flame licking the Sierra Madre.” Since few people lived on or near the mountains, fires there caused no great alarm. In fact, two cattlemen were reported to annually ignite big fires in the mountains that raised no concern. Wildfires only first became a concern in 1884 when flooding from eroded hillsides wiped out the track system of the Southern Pacific Railroad in the Los Angeles area. Authorities finally banned needless fires and even threatened to prosecute offenders. As fires and flooding resulting from fire erosion increasingly threatened property by the late 1800s, Angelenos lost their fondness for “beautiful” wildfires and demanded fire suppression.

TujungaFire 527c

Largest Wildfires in Los Angeles County By Acres Burned

Every year, wildfires in the State generally, and in the greater Los Angeles area specifically, burn hotter, faster, and with greater impact on the community. As more people move into the wildland urban interface, the type of fuel – along with ornamental vegetation – creates more risk for people, pets, and property. 

Thankfully, the largest wildfire in Los Angeles County occurred in the Angeles National Forest in July of 1960. The next big fire may only be weeks or months away, and as such, the more you understand about wildfire – and how to reduce the risk – the better off everyone in your neighborhood will be. 

The following chart outlines wildfires in the greater L.A. area, and it’s worth learning from them. 

Fire Name Area Date Fire Started Acres Burned Structures Destroyed/Fatalities
Johnstone
ANF
Jul. 20, 1960
23,170
Forest research facilities & cabins destroyed
Canyon (Canyon Inn)
North of Glendora
Aug. 24, 1968
22,197
8 fatalities (firefighters) 4
Marple
Marple Canyon, Castaic Area
Aug. 26, 1996
21,500
1 structure destroyed
Curve
ANF, Azusa Canyon
Sep. 1, 2002
20,857
72 structures destroyed
Old Topanga (Calabasas/Malibu)
Malibu and Topanga
Nov. 2, 1993
18,500
350 structures destroyed; 3 fatalities,,
Liberty (Malibu/Zuma)
Malibu Canyon, Corral Canyon
Dec. 11, 1958
17,860
107 structures destroyed; 1 fatality
Pine
East of Gorman
Jul. 12, 2004
17,418
15 structures destroyed; 1 fatality (firefighter)
Trippet Ranch or Topanga
Topanga Canyon, Malibu Hills
Nov. 23, 1938
16,500
350 structures destroyed
Creek
Kagel Canyon, ANF north of Sylmar
Dec. 5, 2017
15,619
123 Structures destroyed
Woodland Hills (Las Virgenes)
Topanga Canyon, Malibu Hills
Nov. 6, 1943
15,300
0 structures destroyed
Potrero
Malibu/Ventura County Area
Oct. 1930
15,000
0 structures destroyed
Polecat
ANF
Jul. 17, 1960
14,737
No information found
Sesnon (Porter Ranch)
Oil fields of Oat Mountain, north of Porter Ranch
Oct. 13, 2008
14,703
78 structures destroyed; 1 indirect fatality (vehicle accident)
Monrovia Peak
ANF
Dec. 27, 1953
14,135
No information found
Calabasas Canyon
Malibu, Calabasas Canyon, Corral Canyon
Oct. 28, 1996
13,010
6 structures destroyed
Crown
Agua Dulce to Palmdale
Jul. 20, 2004
11,966
10 structures destroyed
Sayre
Sylmar
Nov. 14, 2008
11,262
604 structures destroyed
Arroyo Seco
Arroyo Seco to Tujunga,
Aug. 1896
10,800
No information found
Saddle Ridge
Sylmar, Granada Hills, Porter Ranch, Angeles National Forest
Oct. 10, 2019
8,799
19 structures destroyed; 1 Fatality (first responder)
Topanga
Topanga Canyon
Nov. 6, 1961
8,000
0 structures destroyed
La Tuna
Verdugo Mountains, Burbank, Glendale, Sunland-Tujunga
Sep. 1, 2017
7,194
10 structures destroyed
Unnamed Fire
ANF
1906
6,955
No information found
Stable
Bradbury
Nov. 16, 1980
6,600
57 structures destroyed
Bel Air/Brentwood
Bel Air, Brentwood
Nov. 6, 1961
6,090
484 structures destroyed
Rye
Santa Clarita
Dec. 5, 2017
6,049
6 structures destroyed
Foothill
SE of Action
Jul. 17, 2004
6,000
0 structures destroyed
Kinneloa
Foothills above Altadena/Sierra Madre
Oct. 27, 1993
5,485
196 structures destroyed
San Gabriel Complex 5
ANF, Morris Reservoir, above Azusa
Jun. 20, 2016
5,399
3 fatalities
Piuma
Malibu area, Kanan/Decker
Oct. 14, 1985
5,120
6 structures destroyed
Route
Castaic area, west of Lake Castaic, alongside I-5
Oct. 31, 2022
5,208
2 structures destroyed
LaTuna2 676

Deadliest Wildfires in Los Angeles County History

Thankfully, while wildfires kill people, L.A. County has been fairly lucky relative to fatalities. The most significant loss of life occurred in October of 1933, where 29 people were killed by the Griffith Park Fire. 

Fire Name Area Date Fatalities
Griffith Park
Griffith Park
Oct. 3, 1933
29
Loop
Loop Canyon near Sylmar
Nov. 1, 1966
12
Wright
Malibu Canyon
Sep. 25, 1970
10
Canyon (Canyon Inn)
North of Glendora
Aug. 24, 1968
8
Hacienda
La Habra Heights
Sep. 2, 1955
6
OldFire 441

Most Destructive Wildfires in Los Angeles County History

When the Woolsey fire took off in November of 2018, it churned its way to the sea. In its path, it destroyed more than 1,100 structures, most of them homes. The cost of these fires is often related to the loss of property, but may also be a result of the natural resources that are damaged. One of the core values in the Los Angeles Fire Safe Council mission is to help people to become better prepared, resulting in a reduced set of losses from wildfire. 

Fire Name Area Date Structures Destroyed
Woolsey
Westlake Village to Malibu (portion of fire within L.A. County)
Nov. 8, 2018
1,121
Sayre
Sylmar
Nov. 14, 2008
604
Bel Air/Brentwood
Bel Air, Brentwood
Nov. 6, 1961
484
Wright
Malibu Canyon
Sep. 25, 1970
403
Trippet Ranch or Topanga
Topanga Canyon, Malibu Hills
Nov. 23, 1938
350
Old Topanga
Malibu and Topanga
Nov. 2, 1993
323
Kanan/Dune (Mandeville Canyon/Agoura-Malibu)
Malibu to Agoura to Mandeville Canyon
Oct. 23, 1978
230
Station
ANF, Flintridge
Aug. 26, 2009
209
Kinneloa
Foothills above Altadena/Sierra Madre
Oct. 27, 1993
196
Bobcat
ANF, from north of Monrovia to Juniper Hills
Sep. 6, 2020
170
Malibu Hills
Malibu
Nov. 1945
150
Creek
Kagel Canyon, ANF north of Sylmar
Dec. 5, 2017
123
Sherwood/Newton
Malibu to Zuma, Lake Sherwood in Ventura County
Dec. 26, 1956
120
Liberty (Malibu/Zuma)
Malibu Canyon, Corral Canyon
Dec. 11, 1958
107

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