Kirk Complex (Five)

199936,149 acresCalifornia

The Kirk Complex (Five) burned 36,149 acres, about 56 square miles, across Monterey County. It began on September 9, 1999.

Watch how it happened

Kirk Complex (Five) · 1999

How it happened

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

About this replay
IgnitionSeptember 9, 1999Historical replay — order not recorded
Final area36,149 ac
Revealed—
Counties1

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 Kirk Complex (Five)
Burn severity by class
SeverityShareAcres
Highmost vegetation consumed, soils altered19%6,777
Moderatemixed: many trees killed, some survive36%12,912
Lowsurface fire, most trees survive30%10,744
Unburned to lowislands inside the perimeter, little change16%5,696
Increased greennessvegetation greener after the fire than before0.1%20

19% of the area inside the perimeter burned at high severity, about 6,777 acres; 54% 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
Monterey CountyCA36,161

Other large fires in California in 1999

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