Laguna Fire

This article is about the 1970 wildfire in San Diego County, California. For the 1993 wildfire in Orange County, see Laguna Fire (1993).
Laguna Fire
Date(s)
  • September 22, 1970 (1970-09-22) –
  • October 3, 1970 (1970-10-03)
  • (12 days)
LocationSan Diego County, California, United States
Coordinates32°46′57.56″N 116°42′32.89″W / 32.7826556°N 116.7091361°W / 32.7826556; -116.7091361
Statistics
Burned area175,425 acres (70,992 ha; 274 sq mi; 710 km2)
Impacts
Structures destroyed~1,382 (382 homes, ~1,000 other structures)
Ignition
CauseDowned powerlines

The Laguna Fire, also known as the Kitchen Creek Fire or the Boulder Oaks Fire, was a 175,425-acre (70,992 ha) wildfire that burned from September 22 to October 4, 1970, in the Laguna Mountains and East County region of San Diego County in Southern California.[1] It was one of many wildfires in a massive conflagration that spanned across the state from September 22 to October 4, 1970.[2] At the time, it was the second-largest fire in the recorded history of California after the 1932 Matilija Fire[1] (not counting the Santiago Canyon Fire in 1889, which experts estimate burned approximately 300,000 acres (120,000 ha)).[3]

  1. ^ a b Gabbert, Bill (September 26, 2009). "Laguna fire, September 26, 1970". Wildfire Today. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  2. ^ Wilkens, John (August 30, 2020). "California was on fire 50 years ago, too". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Contributions by Merrie Monteagudo. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  3. ^ Mejia, Brittny (December 16, 2017). "Thomas fire could become largest on record in California". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 10, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.