One of the most significant fires in United States history was The Big Blowup of 1910.[2] In that fire, 3 million acres burned and 78 firefighters were killed in the northern Rocky Mountains (in the states of Washington, Idaho, and Montana) which led to a standing policy in Colorado of all fires out by 10am.[3] The policy evolved over the 20th century.
Part of the 2002 Colorado wildfires that burned nearly 360,000 acres, the Hayman Fire, was the largest wildfire in Colorado state history for nearly 20 years[4][5] until the Pine Gulch Fire surpassed it in August 2020.[6] The Cameron Peak Fire became the largest wildfire in Colorado history seven weeks later, at a size of 206,667 burned acres as of October 21, 2020. The 2012 Colorado forest fires broke the record for most destructive fire twice and led to declaration of a federal disaster area in June 2012.[7] The 2013 Colorado forest fires, fueled by high heat and winds[8] again broke the record for the most destructive and included what was the second largest fire (by area) in Colorado history until being surpassed by several fires in 2020. With multiple record-breaking fires, the 2020 Colorado wildfire season became the largest in the state's history after burning 665,454 acres (269,300ha).[9]
List of fires
This list only covers the largest, most destructive fires in Colorado history. Colorado State University (CSU) has information on named fires from 1976 to 2006[10] and total wildfires from 1960 to 2009.[11] According to CSU, wildfires in Colorado burned less than 100,000 acres (40,469ha) per decade over the 1960s and the 1970s. For the 1980s and 1990s, the total was over 200,000 acres (80,937ha) per decade. For the 2000s, the total was approximately 200,000 acres (80,937ha). Notable fires from before 1980 are also included, sourced mainly from old newspapers and records. All fires greater than 40,000 acres (16,187ha) and all but one over 20,000 acres (8,094ha) occurred in the 21st century. Acreage of fires that are partly in Colorado are indicated in red.
Destroyed 89 buildings in and around Camp Carson and killed 8 people. Although reports claim the fire was over 45 square miles in size, this number was likely exaggerated.
Caused by lightning in Rocky Mountain National Park and was allowed to burn naturally, but was pushed by strong winds and ran towards Allenspark, Colorado. Luckily, the fire was subdued before it reached the park boundary.
Surpassed the Emerald Lake fire as largest in the state's history. Named for a Bureau of Land Management firefighter who was married the day the fire broke out.
Fifth largest fire in Colorado history[6] by area. 5 firefighter deaths, 133 homes lost, 600 total structures destroyed, more than $42million in damages. Caused by arson.[19]
Started by lightning. Eighth largest wildfire in Colorado state history by area. Killed one person and destroyed at least 248 homes, making it the most destructive fire in state history until Waldo Canyon Fire a few days later.[citation needed]
Located near Pikes Peak, northwest of Colorado Springs in the Waldo Canyon – origin currently unknown – first reported the afternoon of Saturday, June 23. Destroyed 346 homes; the most destructive fire until the Black Forest Fire of 2013. Two fatalities.[citation needed]
The most destructive fire in Colorado state history until 2020. Destroyed 511 homes, left 28 homes partially damaged, and claimed the lives of two people.[28] Cause: natural causes eliminated.
Started June 20, 2013; forced evacuation of entire town of South Fork, Colorado. The fire is composed of three subsidiary fires that merged: West Fork fire, Papoose fire and Windy Pass fire. Cause: Lightning.
The fire started June 27, 2018 about 9 miles NE of Ft. Garland, CO. The fire reached 108,045 acres of burned area. It was declared 100% contained on September 10, 2018.[36] More than 140 homes were lost to the fire.[37] At least 120 others have been damaged. The fire was human caused and the suspect faces 141 counts of first-degree arson – one count for each home destroyed by the fire.[38]
Caused by lightning in early September and was allowed to burn while being supervised in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness. Fire flared up jumping Methodist Mt. threatening homes south of Salida.[citation needed]
Caused by lightning, initial attack on Sunday, June 14 at 12:41pm.[40] The pre-positioned Durango Interagency Type 3 team responded to the initial attack and managed the fire until the Rocky Mountain Type 2 Blue Team assumed command of the fire on Tuesday June 16, 2020. The fire transitioned back to a local Type 3 organization on Wednesday, June 24 at 6:00a.m.
Caused by lightning, initial attack on Friday, July 31, after 5pm.[41] On 27 Aug 2020, Pine Gulch wildfire became the largest fire in Colorado history, only to be surpassed two months later by the Cameron Peak Fire.[6] Suppression costs are $35,000,000.[42]
2020
3,226 acres (1,306ha)
Fawn Creek Fire
39º 45' 44", 108º 25' 7"
Caused by lightning, July 13, 2020. Suppression costs are $2,285,000.[42]
Started due to a faulty utility pole operated by Xcel Energy. Large tankers operating out of Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport(KBJC) assisted in firefighting operations.
Started August 13, cause under investigation. On 14 Oct 2020 the fire became the largest wildfire in Colorado history.[46] Structures destroyed: 461. Suppression costs: $134 million.[47]
Caused by lightning, started in Routt National Forest.[48] (Size as of 25 October 2020) Suppression costs: $5,819,235.00.(costs as of October 14, 2020)[42]
This fire originated in Wyoming on September 17, and burned into Colorado on October 1.[51][52] Most of the acreage of this fire is located in Wyoming. Size as of 17 October 2020. Structures destroyed: 66. Suppression costs: $34,599,924.(costs and structures destroyed as of October 15, 2020)[42]
Began on 10/14/2020 at 4:00pm North of Parshall, Colorado causing the deaths of at least 2 elderly people. Cause under investigation. Colorado's second largest wildfire and the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history until the Marshal Fire of 2021, with estimated insured losses totaled $543million ($560 in 2021 dollars) resulting from approximately 1,602 homeowner and auto insurance claims filed.[54]
Reported approximately 10:30am on 12/30/2021 near Marshall, Colorado. High winds swept the grass fire eastward through the towns of Superior and Louisville, Colorado, causing the evacuation of more than 30,000 people and a loss of $513,212,589 in under six hours. There were 1084 residential structures destroyed and 149 residential structures damaged.[58][59][60][61]
The High Park fire was a wildfire in the mountains west of Fort Collins in Larimer County, Colorado, United States. It was caused by a lightning strike and was first detected on the morning of June 9, 2012. It was declared 100 percent contained on June 30, 2012, and all associated evacuation orders were lifted. Disambiguation. In 2022 there was another fire called "High Park Fire." That fire started on 05/12/2022 6 miles west of Cripple Creek Colorado. The size at 89% containment was 1,572 acres. Since wildland fire names are typically assigned by personnel on the fire and often based on local knowledge, it is not unusual to have more than one fire with the same name.
The 2012 Colorado wildfires were an unusually devastating series of Colorado wildfires, including several separate fires that occurred throughout June, July, and August 2012. At least 34,500 residents were evacuated in June.
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 people died. Below is a list of the major fires of the year.
The Lava Fire was a wildfire that burned over 21,500 acres (87 km2) of Oregon rangeland during the summer of 2012. The fire began on 23 July 2012, the result of a lightning strike. The fire consumed rangeland vegetation and scrub forest located in and around lava beds in northern Lake County. The burned area was on public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management including a large area within a wilderness study area. Firefighters battled the blaze for over three weeks. At the peak of the firefighting effort, there were over 275 personnel working on the fire.
The Ferguson Fire was a major wildfire in the Sierra National Forest, Stanislaus National Forest and Yosemite National Park in California in the United States. The fire was reported on July 13, 2018, burning 96,901 acres (392 km2), before it was 100% contained on August 19, 2018. Interior areas of the fire continued to smolder and burn until September 19, 2018, when InciWeb declared the fire to be inactive. The Ferguson Fire was caused by the superheated fragments of a faulty vehicle catalytic converter igniting vegetation. The fire, which burned mostly in inaccessible wildland areas of the national forest, impacted recreational activities in the area, including in Yosemite National Park, where Yosemite Valley and Wawona were closed. The Ferguson Fire caused at least $171.2 million in damages, with a suppression cost of $118.5 million and economic losses measuring $52.7 million. Two firefighters were killed and nineteen others were injured in the fire.
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 until the August Complex fire in 2020. 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 until the August Complex fire that occurred in 2020. 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.
The Delta Fire was a 2018 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 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 August Complex was a massive wildfire that burned in the Coast Range of Northern California, in Glenn, Lake, Mendocino, Tehama, Trinity, and Shasta Counties. The complex originated as 38 separate fires started by lightning strikes on August 16–17, 2020. Four of the largest fires, the Doe, Tatham, Glade, and Hull fires, had burned together by August 30. On September 9, the Doe Fire, the main fire of the August Complex, surpassed the 2018 Mendocino Complex to become both the single-largest wildfire and the largest fire complex in recorded California history. On September 10, the combined Doe Fire also merged with the Elkhorn Fire and the Hopkins Fire, growing substantially in size. By the time it was extinguished on November 12, the August Complex fire had burned a total of 1,032,648 acres (417,898 ha), or 1,614 square miles (4,180 km2), about 1% of California's 100 million acres of land, an area larger than the state of Rhode Island.
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 p.m. 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 is the eighth-largest in California's history, and was 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, and the 3 largest fires in state history, it is Colorado's largest wildfire season on record.
The Cameron Peak fire was a wildfire that started near Chambers Lake, Colorado, 25 miles (40 km) east of Walden and 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Red Feather Lakes near Cameron Pass on August 13, 2020, and was declared 100% contained on December 2, 2020. The fire burnt 208,663 acres through the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in Larimer and Jackson Counties and Rocky Mountain National Park. At its peak, the fire forced the evacuation of over 6,000 residents in Estes Park, Chambers Lake, Rustic, Glacier View Meadows, Red Feather Lakes, Masonville, Glen Haven, Spring Canyon, various small communities along Highway 14, Stove Prairie Landing Road, as well as the Colorado State University Mountain Campus and had over 1,000 personnel fighting the fire. 469 structures were destroyed by the fire, including 220 outbuildings and 42 primary residences. The fire became the largest wildfire in Colorado history, surpassing the Pine Gulch Fire, which had set the same mark just seven weeks prior.
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 Washington wildfire season officially began in March 2021. By late April, all of Eastern Washington had been classified by the United States Drought Monitor as "abnormally dry" with moderate to severe drought conditions. The state had more than 630 wildfires by the first week of July, on par with the state's record 2015 wildfire season.
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 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.
This article is a summary of the 2022 Arizona wildfire season, comprising the series of significant wildfires that burned in the U.S. state of Arizona during the calendar year 2022. According to statistics published by the Southwest Coordination Center, a total of 1,263 fires burned a total of 143,601 acres in Arizona in 2022.
↑ "Black Tiger Fire Case Study"(PDF). Fire investigations. NFPA fire investigations – Natural disasters. Quincy, Massachusetts: National Fire Protection Association. 1990.
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