Fire is a natural form of disturbance that shapes resource availability across spatial and temporal scales. As fire regimes change in response to climate change and anthropogenic factors, further work is necessary to understand how wildfire disturbance impacts medium-large (>0.5-kg) mammals. We used autologistic occupancy models to determine how ten mammal species responded to four wildfire events in Orange County and Santa Cruz County, California, USA, across a landscape and over time. Most species increased usage of sites affected by higher fire severity and/or heterogeneity, in the burned interior or along burned edges. Mesocarnivores increased their use of burned areas after a fire, while small herbivores and large carnivores did not exhibit a strong response to wildfire over time. Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) were the only species to increase use of sites with lower fire severity and sites in unburned areas, and during mid- to late-successional stages. Although most mammals appeared to prefer landscape heterogeneity and resource pulses created by more severe wildfire, there was some variation. Wildlife managers should draw on region-specific studies when seeking to reintroduce healthy fire into fire-adapted ecosystems.