Wildfires did more damage in 2020 than in almost any other year in American history. There were nearly 59,000 blazes reported, scorching over 10 million acres in total. This was just the third time over 10 million acres burned in a single year, the others being 2015 and 2017.
No state was left untouched by wildfires in 2020. In a handful of states, less than 1,000 acres burned. But in more than a dozen states, over 100,000 acres were destroyed by fire — including 1.1 million in one state, and 4.1 million acres in another.
To determine the states where wildfires caused the most damage, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2020 National Report of Wildland Fires and Acres Burned by State from the National Interagency Fire Center. States are listed in order of total acreage burned in 2020.
The number of reported wildfires in 2020 was higher than typical in nearly every part of the country, but the West Coast bore the brunt of the active fire season. Oregon, Washington, California, and Colorado all reported enormous fires, including the August Complex in Northern California. It was the first recorded wildfire in the lower 48 states to burn over a million acres in U.S. history. That was one of three 2020 wildfires to rank among most devastating in American history. These are the 30 most destructive wildfires in the U.S. this century.
While California was especially hard hit by the fire season in 2020, it is not always the state with the most acreage burned. In 2019, more than half of the total acreage burned by wildfires in the U.S. was in Alaska. In 2018, the Great Basin region — made up of nearly all of Utah and Nevada as well as the southern area of Idaho — accounted for a larger share of burned acreage than anywhere else in the country.
California was much more affected by fire in 2020 than is normal. Compared to the 10-year average, the number of acreage burned was 611% higher in Northern California and 446% higher in Southern California.
Nearly 18,000 structures were destroyed by wildfires in 2020, including almost 10,000 homes — more than triple the annual average. These fires also caused more than 40 fatalities. Just a few dozen of the largest fires caused an estimated $1.8 billion in damages.
Though it may not prove to be as bad as 2020, the 2021 wildfire season has been fairly active as well so far. As of Aug. 11, there have been nearly 40,000 wildfire incidents reported nationwide, burning more than 3.8 million acres.
Click here to see the states where wildfires cause the most damage.
50. Rhode Island
> Total acres burned, 2020: 85 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 113 fires
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49. New Hampshire
> Total acres burned, 2020: 88 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 252 fires
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48. Vermont
> Total acres burned, 2020: 126 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 96 fires
47. Illinois
> Total acres burned, 2020: 240 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 19 fires
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46. Indiana
> Total acres burned, 2020: 313 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 11 fires
45. Connecticut
> Total acres burned, 2020: 383 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 586 fires
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44. Hawaii
> Total acres burned, 2020: 472 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 58 fires
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43. Massachusetts
> Total acres burned, 2020: 834 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 1,189 fires
42. Maryland
> Total acres burned, 2020: 930 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 02 fires
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41. Maine
> Total acres burned, 2020: 1,032 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 1,156 fires
40. New York
> Total acres burned, 2020: 1,123 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 192 fires
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39. Michigan
> Total acres burned, 2020: 1,131 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 409 fires
38. Delaware
> Total acres burned, 2020: 1,356 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 426 fires
37. Ohio
> Total acres burned, 2020: 1,551 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 649 fires
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36. South Carolina
> Total acres burned, 2020: 1,754 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 465 fires
35. Wisconsin
> Total acres burned, 2020: 1,785 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 781 fires
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34. Iowa
> Total acres burned, 2020: 2,168 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 126 fires
33. Pennsylvania
> Total acres burned, 2020: 2,997 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 1,488 fires
32. North Dakota
> Total acres burned, 2020: 3,782 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 651 fires
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31. Tennessee
> Total acres burned, 2020: 4,163 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 367 fires
30. Virginia
> Total acres burned, 2020: 5,596 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 410 fires
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29. Georgia
> Total acres burned, 2020: 5,677 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 1,699 fires
28. Louisiana
> Total acres burned, 2020: 5,880 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 401 fires
27. Nebraska
> Total acres burned, 2020: 7,611 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 41 fires
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26. Kentucky
> Total acres burned, 2020: 7,950 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 524 fires
25. West Virginia
> Total acres burned, 2020: 8,196 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 1,230 fires
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24. Minnesota
> Total acres burned, 2020: 8,838 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 1,372 fires
23. New Jersey
> Total acres burned, 2020: 11,919 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 1,981 fires
22. Arkansas
> Total acres burned, 2020: 12,552 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 655 fires
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21. North Carolina
> Total acres burned, 2020: 12,875 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 2,364 fires
20. Missouri
> Total acres burned, 2020: 17,940 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 1,090 fires
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19. South Dakota
> Total acres burned, 2020: 19,636 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 852 fires
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18. Alabama
> Total acres burned, 2020: 20,557 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 836 fires
17. Mississippi
> Total acres burned, 2020: 22,035 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 729 fires
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16. Kansas
> Total acres burned, 2020: 34,581 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 52 fires
15. Florida
> Total acres burned, 2020: 99,413 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 2,381 fires
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14. Oklahoma
> Total acres burned, 2020: 102,302 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 1,241 fires
13. New Mexico
> Total acres burned, 2020: 109,513 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 1,018 fires
12. Alaska
> Total acres burned, 2020: 181,169 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 349 fires
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11. Texas
> Total acres burned, 2020: 256,826 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 6,713 fires
10. Nevada
> Total acres burned, 2020: 259,275 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 770 fires
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9. Idaho
> Total acres burned, 2020: 314,352 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 944 fires
8. Utah
> Total acres burned, 2020: 329,735 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 1,493 fires
7. Wyoming
> Total acres burned, 2020: 339,783 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 828 fires
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6. Montana
> Total acres burned, 2020: 369,633 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 2,433 fires
5. Colorado
> Total acres burned, 2020: 625,357 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 1,080 fires
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4. Washington
> Total acres burned, 2020: 842,370 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 1,646 fires
3. Arizona
> Total acres burned, 2020: 978,568 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 2,524 fires
2. Oregon
> Total acres burned, 2020: 1,141,613 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 2,215 fires
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1. California
> Total acres burned, 2020: 4,092,151 acres
> Total fires, 2020: 10,431 fires
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