American wildfires are burning more land than they used to — a lot more. The acres scorched each year have roughly doubled compared with the 1980s, even though the number of fires hasn't risen nearly as much. The difference is that fires are getting bigger. This guide charts four decades of U.S. wildfire data, shows the dramatic rise in acres burned, and explains the mix of climate, fuel, and development driving it.
How much burns each year?
In a typical recent year, U.S. wildfires burn several million acres — an area larger than many states — and in the worst years far more. The chart colors each year by severity, and the recent decade is dotted with red, high-acreage years that were rare before. The single worst year on this record was 2015, when over 10 million acres burned. Year-to-year totals swing wildly with weather, but the underlying trend is clearly upward.
The dramatic rise in acres burned
Compare the decades and the shift is stark: the U.S. now burns roughly two to three times as many acres per year as it did in the 1980s. Crucially, this isn't mainly because there are more fires — the number of wildfires has stayed relatively flat or even fallen. Instead, each fire burns more land on average. The story of modern wildfire is fewer, but far bigger and more destructive, blazes.
Why fires are getting bigger
Several forces combine to supersize wildfires. Climate change brings hotter, drier conditions and longer fire seasons, turning forests into tinder. A century of aggressive fire suppression let dead wood and brush accumulate, so when fires do start they have far more fuel to consume. And persistent drought across the West primes the landscape to burn. Together they mean a single ignition can now explode into a megafire that would have been contained decades ago.
Why it matters beyond the burn zone
The damage from bigger fires reaches far past the flames. Massive blazes destroy homes and lives, but they also blanket entire regions — and increasingly distant cities — in hazardous smoke, sending air quality plummeting hundreds of miles away. They cost billions to fight, strain insurance markets, and the problem is compounded by more people living in the wildland-urban interface, where development pushes into fire-prone forests. As acres burned climb, so do the human and economic stakes.
Frequently asked questions
How many acres burn in U.S. wildfires each year?
Several million in a typical recent year, and far more in bad years — over 10 million acres burned in 2015, the worst year on record. The latest figure is shown above.
Are wildfires getting worse?
Yes, by acres burned. The U.S. now burns roughly two to three times as much land per year as in the 1980s, though the number of fires hasn't risen nearly as much — fires are getting bigger.
Why are wildfires getting bigger?
Climate change brings hotter, drier conditions and longer fire seasons; a century of fire suppression left more fuel to burn; and persistent Western drought primes the landscape.
What was the worst U.S. wildfire year?
By acres burned, 2015 — when over 10 million acres burned nationwide, the most in this four-decade record.
Why does wildfire smoke travel so far?
Bigger fires loft huge smoke plumes high into the atmosphere, where winds can carry them hundreds or thousands of miles, degrading air quality in distant cities.