Wildfire acres burned, by month
Total acres burned by wildfires in the continental U.S. (over 1,000 acres in size) and the month the fire began, 1990-2021:
Median: 120,851 acres
JAN
2015
2010
2005
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
2000
1995
1990
1985
Number & acres burned
Total wildfires in the U.S., 1990-2022:
Look up past large wildfires
Wildfires over 40,000 acres in the continental U.S., 1990-2022:
Acres burned
State comparison
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Less than 1 million
1-5 million
5-10 million
10-15 million
More than 15 million
Anatomy of a wildfire
Acres burned, 2002-22:
WILDFIRES
EXPANDING ACREAGE BURNED BY
Large wildfires in the continental U.S. have been getting bigger over the last decade.
SOURCES: Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity data from 1990-2021; National Interagency Coordination Center Wildland Fire Summary and Statistics Annual Reports; United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service "Living With Fire" brochure; Associated Press
CARR FIRE, CALIFORNIA
July 28, 2018 - Homes leveled by the Carr Fire line the Lake Keswick Estates area of Redding, Calif.
AP Photo/Noah Berger
Combustion is a chemical reaction of three things: Heat, fuel and Oxygen. If any of these elements are missing, fire will not spread.
FIRE TRIANGLE
Fuel is anything that will burn, including grass, shrubs, trees, material lying on the ground, and sometimes structures.
Break the triangle: Building firelines removes fuel from the path of moving fire. This is done by fire crews, equipment, and aircraft.
Wildfires interact with the natural landscape. Topography, fuel, and weather are the three major influences on fire behavior. A fire has many faces that change over space (landscape) and time. As temperatures rise and humidity drops, fires burn more intensely. When temperatures drop and humidity rises, fires burn less intensely.
Shifting winds supply fresh Oxygen and increases the fire's intensity.
Break the triangle: Smothering a fire with dirt, water, or foam limits oxygen.
TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY
Higher temperature air absorbs moisture from fuels which make them more conducive to catch fire. Fuels in locations with high humidity and rainfall tend to be damp and moist.
Heat is first supplied by a lightning bolt, match, or ongoing fire.
Break the triangle: Cooler weather and higher humidities help remove heat. In firefighting, helicopters and air tankers drop water and fire retardant; engines carry limited water.
FINE FUELS
A campfire ember, discarded cigarette, or lightning strike starts a fire in grass and needles. These "flashy fuels" burn quickly. Fine fuels like grass react quickly to temperature and humidity changes. They can dry within minutes.
UNDERSTORY
The vegetation within five feet of the forest floor and downed logs do not react as quickly as fine fuels. As the fine fuels burn, they preheat the shrubs and small trees. Preheating causes the understory to become hot and dry enough to bum.
CROWN FIRE
When the fuels in the understory are dense enough to form a "ladder" they can carry fire into the trees. Preheating from the surface fire, combined with wind allows the fire to move into the forest canopy.
SPOTTING
Winds and convection cause the lofting of embers and burning material ahead of the main fire. These "firebrands" land on vegetation and start new fires.
FIRELINE
Vegetation, branches, and needles are cleared to mineral soil to make a line wide enough to stop the fire's spread. The width varies based on how hot the fire is and how far it is spotting.
RANCH FIRE, CALIFORNIA
August 5, 2018 - A helicopter drops water on a burning hillside in Clearlake Oaks, Calif.
AP Photo/Josh Edelson
RANCH FIRE, CALIFORNIA
August 5, 2018 - A U.S. Air Force plane drops fire retardant on a burning hillside in Clearlake Oaks, Calif.
AP Photo/Josh Edelson
MENDOCINO COMPLEX FIRE, CALIFORNIA
July 31, 2018 - A burned car is seen in front of a wildfire ravaged home in Lakeport, Calif.
AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez
MENDOCINO COMPLEX FIRE, CALIFORNIA
July 30, 2018 - Firefighters cover themselves from smoke and ash created by an advancing wildfire in Lakeport, Calif.
AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez
CARR FIRE, CALIFORNIA
August 13, 2018 - Ed Bledsoe tries to hold back tears as he searches through what remains of his home in Redding, Calif. Bledsoe's wife, great-grandson and great-granddaughter were killed at the home.
AP Photo/John Locher
THOMAS FIRE, CALIFORNIA
Dec. 19, 2017 - Firefighters haul dozens of pounds of hose and equipment down steep terrain below E. Camino Cielo to root out and extinguish smoldering hot spots in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department
THOMAS FIRE, CALIFORNIA
Dec. 16, 2017 - Flames burn near power lines in Sycamore Canyon near West Mountain Drive in Montecito, Calif.
Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department
THOMAS FIRE, CALIFORNIA
Dec. 14, 2017 - Flames from a back firing operation rise behind a home off Ladera Ln. near Bella Vista Drive in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department
CARLTON COMPLEX FIRE, WASHINGTON
July 18, 2014 - A helicopter preparing to drop water is dwarfed by a billowing cloud of smoke from a wildfire in Twisp, Wash.
AP photo/Elaine Thompson
CARLTON COMPLEX FIRE, WASHINGTON
July 24, 2014 - Green orchard areas stand out in contrast to burned out areas in the aftermath of wildfires that swept through Pateros, Wash.
AP photo
MURPHY COMPLEX FIRE, IDAHO
July 27, 2007 - Fence posts lay broken next to a dirt road that leads south on the charred landscape of south central Idaho on the east flank of the Murphy Complex wildfire, about 40 miles west of Rogerson, Idaho.
AP photo/Ross Andreson
MILFRED FLAT FIRE, UTAH
July 7, 2007 - Smoke rises from the Milford Flat Fire late east of Milford, Utah. The 160,000-acre wildfire jumped a freeway forcing the closure of Interstate 15 for a 100-mile stretch through central Utah.
Rick Egan photo/The Salt Lake Tribune
MILFRED FLAT FIRE, UTAH
July 8, 2007 - Virginia Carey uses a hose to douse out hotspots in the remains of her home that was destroyed by the Milford Flat wildfire.
Jim Urquhart photo/The Salt Lake Tribune
CAVE CREEK COMPLEX FIRE, ARIZONA
June 23, 2005 - The Los Padres Hot Shots from Santa Barbara, Calif., pull out as fire jumps the road along Bartlett Lake Road near Carefree, Ariz.
AP Photo/Matt York
RODEO FIRE, ARIZONA
June 22, 2002 - Local residents watch the Rodeo Fire continue its trek northward in Show Low, Ariz.
AP Photo/Matt York
RODEO FIRE, ARIZONA
July 3, 2002 - Don Ausburn holds a photograph of his house in Overgaard, Ariz., while standing next to the fire-destroyed remains of what he once called home. The homes of his children were also destroyed.
AP Photo/Matt York
WALLOW FIRE, NEW MEXICO
June 6, 2011 - Robert Joseph rides his ATV as smoke plumes from the Wallow fire fill the sky in Luna, N.M.
AP Photo/Jae C. Hong
WALLOW FIRE, ARIZONA
June 7, 2011 - Smoke moves across the sky near Greer, Ariz. Winds drove the flames 5 to 8 miles a day for at least the first week.
AP Photo/Jae C. Hong
AP Photo/Noah Berger
State comparison
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2019
RANCH FIRE, CALIFORNIA: August 5, 2018 - A helicopter drops water on a burning hillside in Clearlake Oaks, Calif.
RANCH FIRE, CALIFORNIA: August 5, 2018 - A U.S. Air Force plane drops fire retardant on a burning hillside in Clearlake Oaks, Calif.
MENDOCINO COMPLEX FIRE, CALIFORNIA: July 31, 2018 - A burned car is seen in front of a wildfire ravaged home in Lakeport, Calif.
MENDOCINO COMPLEX FIRE, CALIFORNIA: July 30, 2018 - Firefighters cover themselves from smoke and ash created by an advancing wildfire in Lakeport, Calif.
CARR FIRE, CALIFORNIA: August 13, 2018 - Ed Bledsoe tries to hold back tears as he searches through what remains of his home in Redding, Calif. Bledsoe's wife, great-grandson and great-granddaughter were killed at the home.
CARR FIRE, CALIFORNIA: July 28, 2018 - Homes leveled by the Carr Fire line the Lake Keswick Estates area of Redding, Calif.
THOMAS FIRE, CALIFORNIA: Dec. 19, 2017 - Firefighters haul dozens of pounds of hose and equipment down steep terrain below E. Camino Cielo to root out and extinguish smoldering hot spots in Santa Barbara, Calif.
THOMAS FIRE, CALIFORNIA: Dec. 16, 2017 - Flames burn near power lines in Sycamore Canyon near West Mountain Drive in Montecito, Calif.
THOMAS FIRE, CALIFORNIA: Dec. 14, 2017 - Flames from a back firing operation rise behind a home off Ladera Ln. near Bella Vista Drive in Santa Barbara, Calif.
CARLTON COMPLEX FIRE, WASHINGTON: July 18, 2014 - A helicopter preparing to drop water is dwarfed by a billowing cloud of smoke from a wildfire in Twisp, Wash.
CARLTON COMPLEX FIRE, WASHINGTON: July 24, 2014 - Green orchard areas stand out in contrast to burned out areas in the aftermath of wildfires that swept through Pateros, Wash.
MURPHY COMPLEX FIRE, IDAHO: July 27, 2007 - Fence posts lay broken next to a dirt road that leads south on the charred landscape of south central Idaho on the east flank of the Murphy Complex wildfire, about 40 miles west of Rogerson, Idaho.
MILFRED FLAT FIRE, UTAH: July 7, 2007 - Smoke rises from the Milford Flat Fire late east of Milford, Utah. The 160,000-acre wildfire jumped a freeway forcing the closure of Interstate 15 for a 100-mile stretch through central Utah.
MILFRED FLAT FIRE, UTAH: July 8, 2007 - Virginia Carey uses a hose to douse out hotspots in the remains of her home that was destroyed by the Milford Flat wildfire.
CAVE CREEK COMPLEX FIRE, ARIZONA: June 23, 2005 - The Los Padres Hot Shots from Santa Barbara, Calif., pull out as fire jumps the road along Bartlett Lake Road near Carefree, Ariz.
RODEO FIRE, ARIZONA: June 22, 2002 - Local residents watch the Rodeo Fire continue its trek northward in Show Low, Ariz.
RODEO FIRE, ARIZONA: July 3, 2002 - Don Ausburn holds a photograph of his house in Overgaard, Ariz., while standing next to the fire-destroyed remains of what he once called home. The homes of his children were also destroyed.
WALLOW FIRE, NEW MEXICO: June 6, 2011 - Robert Joseph rides his ATV as smoke plumes from the Wallow fire fill the sky in Luna, N.M.
WALLOW FIRE, ARIZONA: June 7, 2011 - Smoke moves across the sky near Greer, Ariz. Winds drove the flames 5 to 8 miles a day for at least the first week.
High: 5,415,414 acres
Low: 1,111 acres
KINCADE FIRE, CALIFORNIA: October 24, 2019 - A burning building surrounded by vines in Sonoma County, Calif.
AP Photo/Noah Berger
KINCADE FIRE, CALIFORNIA
October 24, 2019 - A burning building surrounded by vines in Sonoma County, Calif.
AP Photo/Noah Berger
CZU AUGUST LIGHTNING COMPLEX, CALIFORNIA: August 21, 2020 - Firefighters enter a home as the glow from the fire fills the night sky in Boulder Creek, Calif.
AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez
LNU LIGHTNING COMPLEX, CALIFORNIA: August 20, 2020 - Scorched homes and vehicles fill Spanish Flat Mobile Villa in unincorporated Napa County, Calif.
AP Photo/Noah Berger
CZU AUGUST LIGHTNING COMPLEX, CALIFORNIA: August 21, 2020 - Firefighters enter a home as the glow from the fire fills the night sky in Boulder Creek, Calif.
AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez
LNU LIGHTNING COMPLEX, CALIFORNIA: August 20, 2020 - Scorched homes and vehicles fill Spanish Flat Mobile Villa in unincorporated Napa County, Calif.
AP Photo/Noah Berger
NOTE: 2021 shows partial year data
DIXIE FIRE, CALIFORNIA: August 3, 2021 - Flames leap from trees as the Dixie Fire jumps Highway 89 north of Greenville in Plumas County, Calif.
AP Photo/Noah Berger
HERMIT'S PEAK FIRE, NEW MEXICO: May 13, 2022 - Fire rages near the Taos County line as firefighters from converge on Northern New Mexico.
Jim Weber/Santa Fe New Mexican