Wildfires in Southern California, May 2026

02 Jun 2026

Four wildfires broke out in Southern California in mid-May and scorched nearly 23,000 acres of land. According to Cal Fire, all but one are fully contained.

• The first and largest California wildfire this year is located in California’s Channel Islands National Park on Santa Rosa Island in Santa Barbara County. The blaze started on May 15, and it burned 18,379 acres -nearly a third of the island which is home to rare vegetation and wildlife. The blaze is 97% contained as of May 31^st.
• On May 18^th, the Sandy Fire started in the Simi Valley of Ventura County. The fast-moving fire threatened homes and thousands of people were ordered to evacuate. Approximately 2,183 acres were burned.
• One day later, the Bain fire started in the Jurupa Valley of Riverside County. Thousands of residents in the Mira Loma neighborhood were forced to evacuate.  Cal Fire reports that the fire scorched 1,473 acres.
• The Verona fire began near Hemet in Riverside County and was also started on May 19^th. The fire burned 638 acres.

There were no reported fatalities from these wildfires. For more details on these wildfires, see the following from CAL FIRE:

https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2026/5/15/santa-rosa-island-fire

https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2026/5/18/sandy-fire

https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2026/5/19/bain-fire

https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2026/5/19/verona-fire

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