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The Old Fire was a large complex wildfire that started on October 25, 2003, near Old Waterman Canyon Road and California State Route 18 in the San Bernardino Mountains, in San Bernardino County, Southern California, United States. The Old Fire caused at least $1.2 billion in damages.
The Texas-Oklahoma wildfires of 2005–06 were a series of wildfires, primarily in the states of Texas and Oklahoma, that began November 27, 2005 and continued into April 2006. Surrounding states were also affected to a lesser extent.
The Witch Creek Fire, also known as the Witch Fire, was the second-largest wildfire of the 2007 California wildfire season. Although the Witch Creek Fire was individually smaller than the Zaca Fire of 2007, burning 197,990 acres (801 km2) acres alone, after merging with the Poomacha and McCoy Fires, the Witch–Guejito–Poomacha Complex Fire had a total burn area of 247,800 acres (1,003 km2), surpassing the Zaca Fire to become the largest complex fire of 2007. Fanned by powerful Santa Ana winds, the Witch Creek Fire rapidly spread westward, and consumed large portions of San Diego County. During its duration, 80–100 feet-high flames were reported by fire officials in the Witch Fire, and the Witch Fire exhibited the characteristics of a firestorm at its height.
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The Bastrop County Complex fire was a conflagration that engulfed parts of Bastrop County, Texas, in September and October 2011. The wildfire was the costliest and most destructive wildfire in Texas history and among the costliest in U.S. history, destroying 1,696 structures and causing an estimated $350 million in insured property damage. An exceptional drought, accompanied by record-high temperatures, affected Texas for much of 2011. Vegetation consequently became severely parched throughout the state, and over the year an unprecedented amount of land in the state was burned by numerous wildfires. In early September 2011, the presence of Tropical Storm Lee to the east produced strong northerly winds over the state, exacerbating the preexisting dry weather to produce critical fire conditions. On the afternoon of September 4, 2011, three separate fires ignited in the wildland–urban interface east of Bastrop, Texas, after strong winds caused by the nearby tropical storm snapped trees onto power lines. Within 48 hours, the fires merged into one blaze that quickly consumed parts of Bastrop State Park and parts of the Lost Pines Forest, as well as homes in nearby subdivisions. Most of the conflagration's spread and destruction occurred within a week of ignition, as the forward advance of the wildfire mostly stopped after September 7. The wildfire was largely contained in September, though the firebreak was briefly breached in early October. On October 10, the Bastrop County Complex was declared controlled, and the fire was declared extinguished on October 29 after 55 days of burning within the fire perimeter.
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The School Fire was a wildfire that occurred in the US state of Washington in August 2005, so named due it to beginning in School Canyon. The fire originated in the Umatilla National Forest in southeastern Washington, in Columbia and Garfield Counties. The School Fire was detected from space by NASA's Terra satellite. The fire burned around 51,892.13 acres, destroying over 100 houses and 100 outbuildings. The largest wildfire of 2005 in the contiguous United States, the School Fire's smoke was seen as far away as Walla Walla. Its total damage was estimated at $15 million.
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The October 2007 California wildfires, also known as the Fall 2007 California firestorm, were a series of about thirty wildfires that began igniting across Southern California on October 20. At least 1,500 homes were destroyed and approximately 972,147 acres of land was burned from Santa Barbara County to the U.S.–Mexico border, surpassing the October 2003 California wildfires in scope, which were estimated to have burned 800,000 acres (3,200 km2). The wildfires killed a total of 14 people, with nine of them dying directly from the fires; 160 others were injured, including at least 124 firefighters. At their height, the raging fires were visible from space. These fires included the vast majority of the largest and deadliest wildfires of the 2007 California wildfire season. The only wildfire in 2007 that surpassed any of the individual October 2007 fires in size was the Zaca Fire.
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The Miller’s Reach Fire, also known as the Big Lake Fire, was a wildfire that began on June 2, 1996 in an area around Miller’s Reach Road near Houston, Alaska, approximately 33 miles (53 km) north of Anchorage, Alaska. The fire burned over 37,000 acres (15,000 ha), destroyed at least 344 structures, and caused more than $10 million in damage to structures and property. The fire was at the time the most destructive in Alaska history, consuming more structures than all other wildfires in Alaskan history combined. 37 fire departments and 1,800 firefighting and support personnel responded to the fire. It took nearly two weeks to completely control the fire.
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The River Fire was a wildfire that burned 2,619 acres (1,060 ha) in the Colfax area in Nevada County and Placer County, California, in the United States during the 2021 California wildfire season. The fire was first reported on Wednesday, August 4, 2021, and was fully contained on Friday, August 13, 2021. The River Fire destroyed 142 structures, damaged 21 more, and resulted in 4 injuries to firefighters and civilians. It was the 5th most destructive fire of 2021 in California. The exact cause of the fire is unknown, but CAL FIRE officials stated after an investigation that it had been "determined to be of human cause," originating in the overnight camping area of Bear River Campground west of Colfax.
The 2020 Maricopa County wildfires were a series of major and non-major wildfires that took place in Maricopa County, Arizona, from the month of May to the month of October. In the year 2020, Arizona saw one of its worst fire seasons in the states history. Due to the lack of precipitation needed in Arizona, the state fell into an ongoing drought from late 2020 and 2021. High winds were also present during the summer when fire season is mostly active in the state. These factors led to the wildfires in Maricopa County to be destructive and costly.
On December 15, 2021, the Midwestern U.S. state of Kansas was met with strong and damaging winds caused by the December 2021 Midwest derecho and tornado outbreak, which produced dust storms and multiple wildfires. An estimated 163,000 acres (66,000 ha) burned on the first day wildfires spawned due to dry fuel and strong wind gusts reaching up to 100 mph (160 km/h). The western and central portions of Kansas were mostly affected by the fires. Before December 15, forecasters had predicted that dry air, gusty winds, and warm temperatures could be present throughout the following days, creating conditions favorable for wildfires to spread quickly through the area. The largest wildfire, the Four County Fire, burned numerous buildings and killed hundreds of cattle along the way with a scorched area of 121,622 acres (49,219 ha).
The Fawn Fire was a damaging wildfire near Redding, Shasta County, in the U.S. state of California in September and October 2021. Caused by a suspected act of arson in the evening of September 22, the fire began in mountains to the northeast of Redding and was driven by high winds the following day south and west into wildland-urban interface (WUI) neighborhoods. The fire ultimately destroyed 185 structures and damaged 26. Three firefighters engaged in suppression of the fire were injured, but there were no recorded civilian injuries or fatalities. The fire cost more than $25 million to suppress and burned 8,578 acres before being fully contained on October 2. A Palo Alto woman was arrested the day of its ignition and charged with starting the fire. As of 2022, legal proceedings were ongoing.
The 49er Fire was a large and destructive wildfire in September 1988 in the U.S. state of California's Nevada County and Yuba County. After igniting on the morning of September 11, when a homeless schizophrenic man accidentally set brush alight by burning toilet paper, the fire burned 33,700 acres throughout the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, impinging on the communities of Lake Wildwood, Rough and Ready, and Smartsville, before being declared contained on September 16. Driven by severe drought conditions and strong, dry winds, firefighting crews were hard-pressed to stop the fire's advance until winds calmed and humidity levels recovered.
References
- ↑ USA Today (3 August 2012). "Wildfires burn Okla.; one suspected as arson". Tucson Citizen. Retrieved 5 August 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
- 1 2 "52,000 acres burn in Oklahoma wildfires". UPI. 5 August 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- 1 2 "Towns' residents flee Oklahoma wildfires that have destroyed dozens of homes". NBC News. 4 August 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ↑ "Current U.S. Drought Monitor". University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ↑ "Study by 'global warming godfather': Texas drought, Europe heat waves are climate change". The Washington Post. Associated Press. 4 August 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2012.[ dead link ]
- ↑ "Raging Oklahoma wildfires prompt evacuations". Fox News. 5 August 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ↑ "Oklahoma Governor Declares State of Emergency Due to Drought". News 9 Oklahoma. 30 July 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- 1 2 3 "Oklahoma Wildfires Denial." Federal Emergency Management Agency. October 15, 2012. Accessed November 16, 2017.
- ↑ "Wildfire scorches secluded area near railroad tracks". Durant Daily Democrat. 29 November 2012. Archived from the original on 21 January 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
- ↑ "Drought losses in Oklahoma top $400 million for 2012". CattleNetwork. 29 November 2012. Archived from the original on 31 December 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
- 1 2 3 Ahrens, Tim. "Glencoe firefighter recalls 2012 blaze." Stillwater News Press.April 2, 2016. Accessed November 19, 2017.
- ↑ "Pipeline Companies Ordered to Pay $6.5 M in Damages from Oklahoma Wildfire." Insurance Journal. February 29, 2016. Accessed November 19, 2017.
- 1 2 "Oklahoma fires force more evacuations." Pioneer Press. August 4, 2012, updated November 10, 2015. Accessed November 20, 2017.
- ↑ Associated Press. "Oklahoma wildfire leaves dozens homeless; Dental records sought to ID 1 body found." (CBS News.) August 7, 2016. Accessed November 20, 2017.