Rough Fire

Rough Fire
The Rough Fire burning on a mountainside in September 2015
Date(s)
  • July 31 (31-07)
  • November 5, 2015 (2015-11-05)
  • (98 days)
Location
Coordinates36°52′26″N 118°54′18″W / 36.874°N 118.905°W / 36.874; -118.905
Statistics
Burned area151,623 acres (61,360 ha; 237 sq mi; 614 km2)
Impacts
Deaths0
Non-fatal injuries12
Evacuated>2,500
Structures destroyed4
Damage
  • $120.9 million
  • (equivalent to about $152 million in 2023)
Ignition
CauseLightning strike
Map

The footprint of the Rough Fire, which largely remained in the Sierra National Forest and Sequoia National Forest
The general location of the fire in Central California

The Rough Fire was a major wildfire in Fresno County, California, and the largest of the 2015 California wildfire season. The fire was ignited by a lightning strike on July 31 and burned 151,623 acres (61,360 ha), largely in the Sierra National Forest and the Sequoia National Forest, before it was declared contained on November 6, 2015. At the time it occurred, the fire was the thirteenth largest in recorded California history.

The Rough Fire destroyed four structures and caused zero fatalities. Twelve injuries were recorded among the firefighters that responded to the incident, who numbered more than 3,700 at peak staffing in mid-September. The effort to contain the fire cost an estimated $120 million.