To reveal the long-term evolution of fire in the Xiaoxing’an Mountains, the historical fire records for the past 1100 years were reconstructed at the local, neighboring, and regional scale based on the analysis of large (>125 μm), medium (50~125 μm) and small (<50 μm) charcoal found in a representative peat core. Based on this, in combination with data on the existing climate, vegetation, and human activities in the study area, the mechanism of response to environmental changes is discussed. Our findings indicate that relatively warm and dry climatic conditions were conducive to fire occurrence. Fire frequencies and intensities were controlled by herbaceous and woody plants, respectively. Affected by such environmental conditions, the local, neighboring, and regional fire regimes during 1 100~900 Cal a BP exhibited much lower frequencies and intensities. Subsequently, fire regimes during 900~570 Cal a BP reached the highest frequencies and intensities. Thereafter, the fire frequencies and intensities decreased significantly during periods 570~200 Cal a BP. In the past 200 Cal a BP, increasing fire frequencies in neighboring and regional areas around the sampling site were attributed to the combined effects of strengthened human activities and rising temperatures. However, the relatively low frequencies and intensities of local fires at the sampling site were primarily constrained by unfavorable conditions of increased climatic humidity and reduced prevalence of woody plants.