49R Fire

198836,662 acresCalifornia

The 49R Fire burned 36,662 acres, about 57 square miles, across 2 counties. It began on September 11, 1988.

Watch how it happened

49R Fire · 1988

How it happened

See how severely each place burned, revealed outward from where it started.

About this replay
IgnitionSeptember 11, 1988Historical replay — order not recorded
Final area36,662 ac
Revealed—
Counties2

How severely it burned

Burn severity inside the final perimeter, classified from Landsat images taken before and after the fire.

Map of burn severity across the 49R Fire
Burn severity by class
SeverityShareAcres
Highmost vegetation consumed, soils altered16%5,943
Moderatemixed: many trees killed, some survive19%6,983
Lowsurface fire, most trees survive28%10,216
Unburned to lowislands inside the perimeter, little change36%13,136
Increased greennessvegetation greener after the fire than before1.0%383

16% of the area inside the perimeter burned at high severity, about 5,943 acres; 35% burned at moderate or high severity.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (U.S. Geological Survey and USDA Forest Service). Classes come from the change in a Landsat burn index (dNBR) between images before and after the fire; acres are each class’s share of the fire’s mapped area.

Where it burned

Acres inside each county, measured from the satellite-mapped perimeter.

Acres burned by county
Nevada CountyCA35,514
Yuba CountyCA1,157

Other large fires in California in 1988

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service). Type recorded: Wildfire.