2020 New Mexico wildfires | |
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Statistics | |
Total fires | >500 |
Date(s) | June 2020 – October 2020 |
Season | |
← 2019 2021 → |
2020 Western U.S. wildfires |
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The 2020 New Mexico wildfire season began in May 2020. At least 543 wildfires burned across the state, with fires burning as late as October 2020. [1] The season was a part of the 2020 Western United States wildfire season.
The following is a list of fires that burned more than 1,000 acres (400 ha), or produced significant structural damage or casualties.
Name | County | Acres | Start date | Containment date | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
West 380 | Lea | 1,689 | January 9 | January 9 | Human-caused | [2] |
Pedro | Guadalupe | 1,017 | April 6 | April 6 | Human-caused | [2] |
Moore | Mora | 3,800 | May 2 | May 2 | Human-caused | [2] |
Sloan Canyon | Union | 1,173 | May 23 | May 29 | Lightning-caused | [2] |
K107 | Harding | 1,355 | June 6 | June 6 | Lightning-caused | [2] |
Turkey | Grant | 1,800 | June 6 | June 11 | Lightning-caused | [2] |
Farm Camp | San Miguel | 22,872 | June 6 | June 14 | Lightning-caused | [2] |
Uvas | Doña Ana | 1,135 | June 6 | June 14 | Lightning-caused | [2] |
Good | Grant | 17,950 | June 6 | July 15 | Lightning-caused | [3] [4] |
Tadpole | Grant | 11,159 | June 6 | July 17 | Lightning-caused | [5] |
Vics Peak | Socorro | 14,624 | June 15 | August 4 | Threatened Mexican spotted owl habitat. Lightning-caused | [6] |
Cub | Catron | 25,950 | June 28 | July 30 | Lightning-caused | [7] |
Naranjos | Mora | 2,580 | July 15 | July 15 | Cause unknown | [2] |
Luna | Taos, Mora | 10,142 | October 17 | November 10 | Campfire | [8] |
In 2016, a total of 7,349 fires had burned an area 669,534 acres (2,709.51 km2) in California, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The 2019 California wildfire season was a series of wildfires that burned across the U.S. state of California as part of the 2019 wildfire season. By the end of the year, according to Cal Fire and the US Forest Service, 7,860 fires were recorded, totaling an estimated of 259,823 acres of burned land. These fires caused 22 injuries, 3 fatalities, and damaged or destroyed 732 structures. The 2019 California fire season was less active than that of the two previous years, which set records for acreage, destructiveness, and deaths.
The 2020 California wildfire season, part of the 2020 Western United States wildfire season, was a record-setting year of wildfires in California. By the end of the year, 9,917 fires had burned 4,397,809 acres (1,779,730 ha), more than 4% of the state's roughly 100 million acres of land, making 2020 the largest wildfire season recorded in California's modern history, though roughly equivalent to the pre-1800 levels which averaged around 4.4 million acres yearly and up to 12 million in peak years. California's August Complex fire has been described as the first "gigafire", burning over 1 million acres across seven counties, an area larger than the state of Rhode Island. The fires destroyed over 10,000 structures and cost over $12.079 billion in damages, including over $10 billion in property damage and $2.079 billion in fire suppression costs. The intensity of the fire season has been attributed to a combination of more than a century of poor forest management and higher temperatures resulting from climate change.
The 2020 Arizona wildfire season was a series of wildfires that burned across the state of Arizona. The season is a part of the 2020 Western United States wildfire season. With 2,520 fires burning 978,519 acres (395,993 ha) of land, it was the largest wildfire season in Arizona since 2011. Wildfires occur year-round in the state but are most numerous and typically burn the largest swaths of land during spring and summer. Peak fire season in the Southwest typically runs from May, when conditions are windy, hot, and dry, through mid-July, when the North American Monsoon provides the region with precipitation to slow fire activity.
The 2020 Nevada wildfire season began in June 2020. The season is a part of the 2020 Western United States wildfire season.
The 2020 Utah wildfire season was a series of prominent wildfires throughout the state of Utah, lasting from June 1 through October 30, as defined by state law. Part of the 2020 Western United States wildfire season, Utah saw record-breaking numbers of human-caused fires. The largest fire of the season, the East Fork Fire, burned an area of 89,568 acres. In total, the suppression costs for the fires amounted to at least $103 million.
Vics Peak Fire was wildfire that burned in the Apache Kid Wilderness in the Cibola National Forest in New Mexico, United States. First reported on June 15, 2020, the fire was started by a lightning strike. The fire burned 14,624 acres (5,918 ha). It was contained on August 4, 2020. The fire threatened private property, utilities infrastructure, and natural resources in the area, including the habitat of the Mexican spotted owl. It also impacted recreational activities in the area due to trail and campground closures.
The North Complex Fire was a massive wildfire complex that burned in the Plumas National Forest in Northern California in the counties of Plumas and Butte. 21 fires were started by lightning on August 17, 2020; by September 5, all the individual fires had been put out with the exception of the Claremont and Bear Fires, which merged on that date, and the Sheep Fire, which was then designated a separate incident. On September 8, strong winds caused the Bear/Claremont Fire to explode in size, rapidly spreading to the southwest. On September 8, 2020, the towns of Berry Creek and Feather Falls were immediately evacuated at 3:15 PM PDT with no prior warning, By September 9, 2020, the towns of Berry Creek and Feather Falls had been leveled, with few homes left standing. The fire threatened the city of Oroville, before its westward spread was stopped. The fire killed 16 people and injured more than 100. Among the 16 fatalities was a 16-year-old boy. The complex burned an estimated 318,935 acres (129,068 ha), and was 100% contained on December 3. The fire was managed by the U.S. Forest Service in conjunction with Cal Fire, with the primary incident base in Quincy. The North Complex Fire was the sixth-largest in California's modern history, and the deadliest fire in the 2020 California wildfire season.
The 2020 Colorado wildfire season was a series of significant wildfires that burned throughout the U.S. state of Colorado as part of the 2020 Western United States wildfire season. With a total of 665,454 acres (269,300 ha) burned, it is Colorado's largest wildfire season on record.
The 2020 Lassen County wildfire season included seven large wildfires that burned entirely or in part in Lassen County. A total of 203,296 acres (82,271 ha) of land was burned in Lassen County, making it one of the larger clusters of fires in the 2020 California wildfire season.
The 2021 California wildfire season was a series of wildfires that burned across the U.S. state of California. By the end of 2021 a total of 8,835 fires were recorded, burning 2,568,948 acres (1,039,616 ha) across the state. Approximately 3,629 structures were damaged or destroyed by the wildfires, and at least seven firefighters and two civilians were injured.
The 2021 Oregon wildfire season began in May 2021. More than 1,000 fires have burned at least 518,303 acres (209,750 ha) across the state as of July 21, 2021. As of August 1, it was expected that the fires might not be contained for months.
The 2021 Arizona wildfire season was a series of wildfires that burned across the state of Arizona, United States. Wildfires across the state burned 524,428 acres (212,228 ha) of land in at least 1,773 fires throughout the state, fueled in part by a drought, hot temperatures, and thunderstorms producing dry lightning. At one point in late June, over 20 active wildfires were burning across the state.
The 2021 New Mexico wildfire season began in February 7, 2021. As of July 7, there have been at least 363 fires across the state that have burned at least 121,277 acres (49,079 ha).
The 2021 Colorado wildfire season was a series of wildfires that burned throughout the U.S. state of Colorado. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, as of July 1, 2021, at least 32,860 acres (13,300 ha) of land have burned in at least 337 wildland fires across the state. Hundreds of homes were burned, and the cities of Louisville and Superior were evacuated, during the Boulder County fires in late December.
The 2022 California wildfire season is an ongoing series of wildfires burning throughout the U.S. state of California. As of 14 November 2022, a total of 7,329 fires have been recorded, totaling approximately 362,403 acres across the state. Wildfires have killed 9 people so far in California in 2022, have destroyed 772 structures, and damaged another 104. The 2022 season follows the 2020 and 2021 California wildfire seasons, which had the highest and second-highest (respectively) numbers of acres burned in the historical record.
The 2022 New Mexico wildfire season is an ongoing series of wildfires burning throughout the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of December 13, 2022, 904,422 acres (366,007 ha) had burned across the state. The burned acreage figure for 2022 is well above the 1995-2015 average of approximately 270,000 acres burned annually. with the fire season in the state expected to continue until the advent of the regular North American Monsoon weather pattern throughout the Southwestern United States in the summer.
The 2022 Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire was the largest and most destructive wildfire in the history of the U.S. state of New Mexico. Burning 341,471 acres between early April and late June in the southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the wildfire was the largest of the record-breaking 2022 New Mexico wildfire season and the largest wildfire of 2022 in the contiguous United States. The fire destroyed at least 903 structures, including several hundred homes, and damaged 85 more, while threatening more than 12,000 other structures in the region.
The Cerro Pelado Fire was a wildfire that burned in the southern Jemez Mountains in Sandoval County, southwest of Los Alamos, in the state of New Mexico in the United States as part of the 2022 New Mexico wildfire season. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The wildfire started on April 22, 2022, during extreme fire weather conditions. As of 15 June 2022, the Cerro Pelado Fire has burned 45,605 acres (18,456 ha) and is 100% contained.