Soberanes Fire
| Soberanes Fire | |
|---|---|
The Soberanes Fire burning along the coastal ridge on July 25, 2016 | |
| Date(s) |
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| Location | Soberanes Creek, Garrapata State Park, Santa Lucia Preserve, Monterey County, California |
| Coordinates | 36°28′N 121°18′W / 36.46°N 121.30°W |
| Statistics | |
| Burned area | 132,127 acres (53,470 ha) |
| Land use | Residential; open space |
| Impacts | |
| Deaths | 1 bulldozer operator |
| Structures destroyed |
|
| Damage | $260 million (2016 USD) |
| Ignition | |
| Cause | Illegal campfire |
| Perpetrator(s) | Unknown |
| Map | |
The Soberanes Fire was a large wildfire that burned from July to October 2016 in the Santa Lucia Mountains of Monterey County, California. It destroyed 57 homes and killed a bulldozer operator, and cost about $260 million to suppress, making it at the time the most expensive wildfire to fight in United States history. At the fire's peak, over 5,000 personnel were assigned to the blaze. The fire was the result of an illegal campfire in Garrapata State Park. By the time it was finally extinguished, the fire had burned 132,127 acres (53,470 ha) along the Big Sur coast in the Los Padres National Forest, Ventana Wilderness, and adjacent private and public land in Monterey County, ranking it 18th on the list of the largest California wildfires in terms of acreage burned.