Special Report

30 Most Destructive Wildfires in the US This Century

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

The recent wildfires in the West have burned more than 5 million acres in Oregon, California, and Washington state, displacing thousands of residents and claiming the lives of 27 people. A massive orange haze produced by the inferno in mid-September drifted across the nation to the East Coast. As of Sept. 17, there were 79 active wildfires in 10 states, all of them in the western United States, according to the National Fire Information Center. Through Sept. 17, there have been 42,512 fires this year covering 6.9 million acres.

This year’s wildfires will undoubtedly take their place among the most devastating in American  history. 24/7 Wall St. has created a list of the most destructive wildfires in the U.S. this century. We reviewed data on wildfires that burned 100,000 acres or more in this century from the National Interagency Fire Center’s Fire (NIFC) and Aviation Management Web Applications Program to compile our list.

Click here to see the most destructive wildfires in the U.S. this century.
Click here to read our methodology.

Fires can occur anywhere, at any time, but certain conditions can drastically increase the risk and severity of fires. Drought, for example, dries out flora, which becomes flammable, creating conditions for an easily spreadable forest fire. Many of the wildfires on the list are classified as complex fires. The NIFC defines complexes as two or more fires burning in the same general area and managed as one event.

The devastating forest fires have raised issues about the role human-induced climate change and development that encroaches on forests play in fires. Other issues considered include the need for controlled burns and other methods to limit the buildup of dead trees and brush that fuel wildfires.  

Because of extended drought, high temperatures, and dry grasslands, the western continental states and Alaska have fallen victim to most of the severe wildfires in the nation’s history. These fires have also been some of the nation’s worst natural disasters. Here is the worst natural disaster in every state.

Courtesy of Bureau of Land Management

30. Rush
> Area burned: 315,577 acres
> State affected: California
> Year: 2012
> Cause: Lightning

A lightning strike ignited the Rush Fire, which would go on to burn over 300,000 acres throughout the western U.S. in the summer of 2012. Though California was the primary state affected by the fire, it did eventually spread into Nevada, burning over 43,000 acres. Firefighters were able to get the fire under control before it reached important gas and power lines.

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Courtesy of NOAA

29. Perryton
> Area burned: 318,156 acres
> State affected: Texas
> Year: 2017
> Cause: Downed power line

The Perryton Fire is one of the biggest in the history of Texas, burning over 300,000 acres. A downed power line started the fire along Texas’ northern border with Oklahoma. One fatality was reported and two homes were destroyed. Several other towns in the area were forced to evacuate as the fire spread.

28. Mustang Complex
> Area burned: 341,448 acres
> State affected: Idaho
> Year: 2012
> Cause: Lightning

A 2012 lightning strike ignited part of what came to be known as the Mustang Complex Fire. A complex is when two or more individual incidents in the same general area fall under the command of a single incident commander or unified command. The fire would go on to burn over 340,000 acres of land, primarily in Idaho but also in Montana. Hundreds of people were forced to leave their homes.

Courtesy of Nasa.gov

27. Milford Flat
> Area burned: 363,052 acres
> State affected: Utah
> Year: 2007
> Cause: Lightning

The Milford Flat Fire, which scorched over 363,000 acres of southwestern Utah, is the largest and most destructive fire in the state’s history. It forced officials to shut down a large section of I-15, and the thick black smoke caused a number of traffic accidents, including one fatal hit and run.

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Andrei Stanescu / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

26. LNU Lightning Complex
> Area burned: 363,220 acres
> State affected: California
> Year: 2020
> Cause: Lightning

A series of lightning bolt strikes struck the northern California region in late August, causing wildfires to ignite in that area. The LNU Complex comprised several fires. The two largest are the Hennessey Fire in Napa and Lake counties and the Walbridge Fire in Sonoma County. The fire destroyed almost 1,000 structures and killed at least five people. The fire forced residents to evacuate parts of Yolo County, which is just west of the state capital of Sacramento.

25. Anderson Creek
> Area burned: 367,740 acres
> State affected: Oklahoma
> Year: 2016
> Cause: Vehicle malfunction

Below normal rainfall in early spring led to the Anderson Creek fire. The blaze started in northern Oklahoma on March 22 and engulfed hundreds square miles of prairie and cattle grazing land, killing about 600 cattle. The fire extended into Kansas and became the largest grass fire in that state’s history.

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Courtesy of FEMA Photo Library under Public Domain Dedication / Wikimedia Commons

24. Big Turnaround Complex
> Area burned: 386,722 acres
> State affected: Georgia
> Year: 2007
> Cause: Downed power line

A downed tree limb was the spark that ignited the Big Turnaround Complex fire in Georgia on April 16, 2007, the biggest wildfire in the state’s history. The fire, which started at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, eventually scorched almost 387,000 acres. Since 1937, there have been more than 300 fires that have burned thousands of acres at the wildlife refuge.

mycan / Getty Images

23. Buzzard Complex
> Area burned: 395,747 acres
> State affected: Oregon
> Year: 2014
> Cause: Lightning

The Buzzard Complex fire — named for the Buzzard Butte — started from a lightning strike on July 14, 2014, and wiped out almost 400,000 acres of sagebrush and bunchgrass in southeastern Oregon. The fire, which killed livestock, was the largest in the state since the Long Draw fire two years earlier.

Andrei Stanescu / iStock via Getty Images

22. SCU Lightning Complex
> Area burned: 396,624 acres
> State affected: California
> Year: 2020
> Cause: Under investigation

The SCU (Santa Clara Unit) Lightning Complex has burned nearly 400,000 acres across five California counties just outside of San Francisco from Aug. 18 – Sept. 16. As of Sept. 16, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, also known as Cal Fire, estimates the fire complex is 98% contained, with full containment being projected for Sept. 30. More than 200 buildings were destroyed, and six people have been injured.

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Courtesy of Defense Visual Information Visual Services under Public Domain Dedication / Wikimedia Commons

21. Middle Yukon Fires
> Area burned: 421,613 acres
> State affected: Alaska
> Year: 2015
> Cause: Lightning

The Middle Yukon Fires, also known as the Ruby Area Fires, consisted of eight different Alaskan fires in 2015. With this fire, the 2015 fire season was the busiest in the state’s history. That year, there were tens of thousands of lightning strikes in the state throughout the summer.

usforestservice under Public Domain Dedication / Flickr

20. Martin
> Area burned: 435,569 acres
> State affected: Nevada
> Year: 2018
> Cause: Under investigation

The Martin Fire ignited on July 5 and tore through dry vegetation to become the largest blaze in the United States at that point in 2018,and the biggest single fire in Nevada’s history. It was not known how the blaze started. Hot, dry, and windy conditions, combined with vast amounts of dry grass — that had grown beyond normal levels because of heavy spring rains — accelerated the speed of the inferno, which burned more than 435,000 acres.

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Courtesy of Bureau of Land Management

19. Crazy Mountain Complex
> Area burned: 447,420 acres
> State affected: Alaska
> Year: 2009
> Cause: Unclear

The Crazy Mountain Complex of 2009 consisted of four smaller fires. Dense smoke from the infernos made it difficult for firefighters to get much needed aerial support and track the perimeter of the fire. The fire was fueled by unseasonably warm temperatures. Approximately 20 days after the complex was established, the 375 personnel assigned to the fire were able to get it under control.

18. Mendocino Complex
> Area burned: 459,123 acres
> State affected: California
> Year: 2018
> Cause: Accident

The Mendocino Complex Fire started in late July 2018. The blaze consisted of the River Fire and the Ranch Fire. Over 100 buildings were destroyed and thousands of fire personnel worked to contain the blaze.

Courtesy of Oregon Forest Resources Institute

17. Holloway
> Area burned: 460,850 acres
> State affected: Nevada
> Year: 2012
> Cause: Lightning

From Aug. 5-25, 2012, the Holloway fire scorched nearly half a million acres of land in northern Nevada and southern Oregon. It was caused by a lightning strike about 25 miles east of Denio, Nevada. One firefighter was injured trying to contain the blaze.

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Courtesy of NASA, Visible Earth v1 ID: 13736

16. Rodeo/Chediski Complex
> Area burned: 468,638 acres
> State affected: Arizona
> Year: 2002
> Cause: Accident

The Rodeo Fire began on June 18, 2002, on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation near Cibecue, Arizona. Another fire ignited on Chediski Ridge, which is also on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. The fires merged on June 22, and by the time they were contained on July 7, about 469,000 acres had been burned.

15. Tanana Area Fires
> Area burned: 498,043 acres
> State affected: Alaska
> Year: 2015
> Cause: Lightning

The Tanana Fires in central Alaska burned more than 498,000 acres, an area over half the size of Rhode Island. The blazes forced the evacuation of Tanana’s 300 residents in June. Some people had to flee by boat because the airstrip was choked with smoke, according news reports.

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forestservicenw / Flickr

14. Biscuit
> Area burned: 500,068 acres
> State affected: Oregon
> Year: 2002
> Cause: Lightning

A lightning strike in the Kalmiopsis region in southwest Oregon ignited five fires on July 13, 2002. The blaze came to be known as the Biscuit Fire, named after Biscuit Creek in southern Oregon. It was the largest recorded forest fire in Oregon history to that point, destroying more than 500,000 acres.

Courtesy of NASA via nasa.gov

13. Southern Nevada Complex
> Area burned: 508,751 acres
> State affected: Nevada
> Year: 2005
> Cause: Lightning

The Southern Nevada Complex Fire was a devastating blaze in the Spring Mountains near Las Vegas that was started by a lightning strike in June of 2005. The fire burned more acreage, about 509,000 acres, than any other fire in Nevada. The inferno was particularly devastating to the desert tortoise population of the region. In addition to the deaths of the animal, the fire destroyed their habitat, prolonging the impact of the fire.

12. Wallow
> Area burned: 538,049 acres
> State affected: Arizona
> Year: 2011
> Cause: Lightning

A lightning strike on June 13, 2011, ignited the Wallow Fire, which burned in the mountains of eastern Arizona near the border with New Mexico and became Arizona’s largest fire. High winds and hot, dry weather conditions fueled the inferno, forcing the evacuation of the towns of Alpine and Nutrioso.

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11. Boundary
> Area burned: 538,261 acres
> State affected: Alaska
> Year: 2004
> Cause: Lightning

The Boundary Fire started on June 13 about 20 miles northeast of Fairbanks, the third most populous city in Alaska. The blaze was declared out on Nov. 30. Over 860 firefighters battled the conflagration.

10. Long Draw
> Area burned: 557,628 acres
> State affected: Oregon
> Year: 2012
> Cause: Lightning

Lightning strike was the contributing factor in the Long Draw Fire that began on July 8, 2012, southwest of Burns Junction, Oregon, in the southeastern part of the state. By the time the blaze was contained on July 16, the fire had consumed about 558,000 acres, land that had been used for foraging by livestock and as a habitat for wildlife.

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Courtesy of Defense Visual Information Visual Services / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

9. Central Complex
> Area burned: 574,709 acres
> State affected: Alaska
> Year: 2004
> Cause: Lightning

A spike in lightning strikes was the main cause of the Central Complex Fire in central Alaska that burned almost 575,000 acres in June and July of 2004. This fire was one of several blazes that ravaged Alaska in the summer of 2004.

Courtesy of NASA via nasa.gov

8. Railbelt Complex
> Area burned: 636,224 acres
> State affected: Alaska
> Year: 2009
> Cause: Mismanaged controlled burn

The Railbelt Complex Fire began in July 2009, when firefighters conducted a controlled burn in an area 45 miles southwest of Fairbanks. Part of the controlled fire spread on to private land, and four landowners filed a lawsuit asking for $100,000 for compensation. They also alleged “negligence and intentional misconduct” after the fire re-ignited, stoked by windy and dry weather and a lack of rainfall. In 2014, the Alaska State Supreme Court ruled that the landowners may be eligible for compensation.

7. Murphy Complex
> Area burned: 652,016 acres
> State affected: Idaho
> Year: 2007
> Cause: lightning

The Murphy Complex Fire in July 2007 burned more than 650,000 acres in southern Idaho and was one of the worst fires in the state’s history, drawing comparisons to the notorious “Big Burn” fire of 1910 that destroyed 3 million acres in the Northwest.

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Courtesy of National Climactic Data Center / Public Domain Dedication / Wikimedia Commons

6. Eagle Complex
> Area burned: 663,305 acres
> State affected: Alaska
> Year: 2004
> Cause: Lightning

2004 was a year to forget in Alaska, as wildfires consumed much of that state’s forest and grassland. Among the worst was the Eagle Complex Fire, near the border of Canada, where more than 660,000 acres burned in the summer of 2004. The cause of the fires was lightning strikes. High gusts and dry heat were also contributing factors to the wildfires.

Courtesy of The Oklahoma National Guard / Flickr

5. NW Oklahoma Complex
> Area burned: 779,292 acres
> State affected: Oklahoma
> Year: 2017
> Cause: Downed power line

Extreme drought, hot and dry air, a downed power line, and gusty winds combined to stoke wildfires in the Oklahoma Panhandle in March 2017. The Northwest Oklahoma Complex Fires were the largest group of fires and spanned the border between Oklahoma and Kansas. The fires had a catastrophic impact on the cattle industry, killing livestock and destroying grazing lands for animals that survived the blaze.

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Ashley Cooper / Getty Images

4. Solstice Complex
> Area burned: 812,771 acres
> State affected: Alaska
> Year: 2004
> Cause: Unknown

Prolonged dry weather and record heat temperatures in Alaska in mid-June were contributing factors to the Solstice Complex Fire — 19 separate fires — that burned more than 800,000 acres in the northern section of Alaska.

Volodymyr Osypov / iStock via Getty Images

3. August Complex Fire
> Area burned: 877,477 acres
> State affected: California
> Year: 2020
> Cause: Lightning

The August Complex Fire in California began on Aug. 17 in the Mendocino, Shasta-Trinity, and Six Rivers National Forests and engulfed almost 880,000 acres. It is the largest wildfire in California history. The fires are being fueled by extended periods of drought. As of the afternoon on Sept. 18, the fire was just 30% contained. The evacuation for Glenn County within the Mendocino National Forest was lifted as of the morning of Sept. 18.

Courtesy of Aqua/MODIS via nasa.gov

2. East Amarillo Complex
> Area burned: 907,245 acres
> State affected: Texas
> Year: 2006
> Cause: Unknown

The East Amarillo Complex fire, which broke out in the Texas Panhandle in March 2006, killed 12 people and burned almost 1 million acres. It is the largest complex fire in Texas history. The National Interagency Fire Center defines complexes as two or more fires burning in the same general area and managed as one event.

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Courtesy of GINA via www.gina.alaska.edu/

1. Taylor Highway Complex
> Area burned: 1,303,358 acres
> State affected: Alaska
> Year: 2004
> Cause: Lightning

Fires erupted in Alaska in mid-June and eventually consumed more than 3.4 million acres by the end of the month. During the peak of the crisis, 466 firefighting personnel were assigned to the fire. Taylor Highway in eastern Alaska was the largest area impacted by the inferno, which raged into August, burning 1.3 million acres.

Methodology

To determine the 30 most destructive wildfires in the U.S. this century, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data on wildfires which burned 100,000 acres or more between 2000 and 2020 from the National Interagency Fire Center’s Fire (NIFC) and Aviation Management Web Applications Program, as well as additional data on active and partially contained fires in 2020 from the Fire, Weather, and Avalanche Center. Data on active fires is current as of mid-day Sept. 14.

Prior to 1983, sources of these figures are not known, or cannot be confirmed, and were not derived from the current situation reporting process. As a result the figures before 1983 should not be compared with later data. Mapping data compiled by the IFCF’s National Interagency Coordination Center to estimate damage done by fires was not implemented until 1997, and fires prior to that are not comparable to this data.

The number of large fires, which refers to the number of fires that burned more than 100,000 acres, also came from the NIFC. Larger fires often split off into several other smaller events, causing their own pattern of destruction. Fires initially part of larger incidents, as well as their aggregate fires, have been indicated.

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