The Long Draw Fire was a wildfire started by a lightning strike on July 8, 2012 that burned 557,648 acres (2,257 km2) acres in southeastern Oregon, in the Western United States. It was Oregon's largest wildfire since the 1865 Silverton Fire which burned over 1 million acres.
In the summer of 2013, there were several major wildfires in Colorado in the United States. During June and July, record high temperatures and dry conditions fueled the fires all across the state. By July 24, 570 structures had been destroyed and 2 lives were lost. Below is a list of the major fires of the year.
The 2017 Oregon wildfires were a series of wildfires that burned over the course of 2017.
The Jack Knife Fire was a wildfire five miles north of Kent, Oregon in the United States. The fire was started by lightning on June 20, 2018, around 3:00 pm, just west of the John Day River. The fire burned 15,676 acres (63 km2).
The Boxcar Fire was a wildfire one mile southeast of Maupin, Oregon in the United States. The fire started on June 21, 2018 due to a lightning strike and has since burned 100,207 acres (406 km2) due to dry, windy conditions in Central Oregon. The fire was one of 70 wildfires started in Oregon due to lightning strikes over a two-day period. The Boxcar Fire is the largest out of three major fires burning in the region, which includes the Jack Knife Fire and South Junction Fire. The fire was contained in late June.
The Lions Fire was a wildfire in the Ansel Adams Wilderness in Inyo National Forest and the Sierra National Forest in California in the United States. The fire was started by a lightning strike and first reported on June 11, 2018. The fire impacted recreational activities in both national forests, as well as access to Devils Postpile National Monument. The Lions Fire burned a total of 13,347 acres (54 km2), before burning out on October 1.
The Klondike Fire was a wildfire in the U.S. state of Oregon. The fire had burned more than 175,258 acres (709 km2). During the fire, a part of the fire was merged into the Taylor Creek Fire, that specific fire, had burned 52,839 acres (214 km2).
The Mendocino Complex Fire was a large complex of wildfires that burned in northern California for more than three months in 2018. It consisted of two wildfires, the River Fire and Ranch Fire, which burned in Mendocino, Lake, Colusa, and Glenn Counties in the U.S. State of California, with the Ranch Fire being California's single-largest recorded wildfire at the time. The Ranch Fire burned eight miles northeast of Ukiah, and the River Fire burned six miles north of Hopland, to the south of the larger Ranch Fire. First reported on July 27, 2018, both fires burned a combined total of 459,123 acres (1,858 km2), before they were collectively 100% contained on September 18, though hotspots persisted until the complex was fully brought under control on January 4, 2019. The Ranch Fire alone burned 410,203 acres (1,660 km2), making it the largest wildfire in modern California history at the time. The Ranch Fire also surpassed the size of the 315,577-acre Rush Fire, which burned across California and Nevada, as well as the Santiago Canyon Fire of 1889, which was previously believed to have been California's all-time largest wildfire. It was surpassed by the August Complex in September 2020.
The Natchez Fire was a wildfire that burned near the California and Oregon Border in Siskiyou County, California, in the United States. The Natchez Fire began on July 15, 2018, due to lightning, and the fire burned a total of 38,134 acres before it was fully contained on October 30, 2018.
Miles Fire was a wildfire in the Rogue River National Forest in Oregon, United States. As of August 29, 2018 the fire had burned 49,966 acres (202 km2) and was 55% contained.
The Delta Fire was a wildfire that burned near Lakehead, California, in the Shasta National Forest. The fire burned 63,311 acres (256 km2) and destroyed 20 structures, before it was 100% contained on October 7, 2018. The fire burned into the western flank of the nearby Hirz Fire on September 10, and also burned only a couple of miles away from the enormous Carr Fire, the seventh-most destructive fire in Californian history.
The 2019 wildfire season was a fire season in California, United States. As of December 22, 2019, over 7,860 fires have been recorded according to Cal Fire and the US Forest Service, totaling an estimated of 259,823 acres of burned land. Although the 2019 fire season had been relatively quiet in California through mid-September as compared to past years, October through December was still expected to have the greatest fire potential as the Diablo and Santa Ana winds pick up.
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 Loyalton Fire was a wildfire burning in Lassen, Plumas and Sierra County, California, and Washoe County, Nevada. The fire burned about 47,029 acres (19,032 ha) in the Tahoe National Forest and Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest before being fully contained on September 14, 2020.
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 3rd. 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.
In 2020, the Western United States experienced a series of major wildfires. Severe August thunderstorms ignited numerous wildfires across California, Oregon, and Washington, followed in early September by additional ignitions across the West Coast. Fanned by strong, gusty winds and fueled by hot, dry terrains, many of the fires exploded and coalesced into record-breaking megafires, burning more than 10.2 million acres of land, mobilizing tens of thousands of firefighters, razing over ten thousand buildings, and killing at least 37 people. The fires caused over $19.884 billion in damages, including $16.5 billion in property damage and $3.384 billion in fire suppression costs. Climate change and poor forest management practices contributed to the severity of the wildfires.
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 Joseph Canyon Fire is a wildfire that started in Joseph Canyon, Oregon on June 4, 2021. It is actively burning in the states of Oregon and Washington. The fire has so far burned 7,610 acres (3,080 ha) and is 95% contained.
The 2021 Arizona wildfire season is an ongoing series of wildfires that have been burning across the state of Arizona, United States. As of July 13, 2021, nearly 480,000 acres (190,000 ha) of land have burned in at least 1,100 fires throughout the state, fueled in part by a drought, hot temperatures, and thunderstorms producing dry lightning. At one point in late June, there were over 20 active wildfires burning across the state.
The Bootleg Fire, named after the nearby Bootleg Spring, is a large wildfire that started near Beatty, Oregon on July 6, 2021. As of 20 July 2021 it has burned 364,113 acres and is 30% contained. At the fire's fastest growth in mid July, it grew at about 1,000 acres (400 ha) per hour, and it became the largest wildfire in the United States of the 2021 wildfire season so far.
