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List of wildfires

Updated: 5/20/2026, 7:41:01 PM Wikipedia source

This is a list of notable wildfires.

Tables

· North America › Canada and the United States of America
1825 Miramichi fire
1825 Miramichi fire
Year
1825
Size
3,000,000 acres (1,200,000 ha)
Name
1825 Miramichi fire
Area
New Brunswick
Notes
Killed between 160 and 300 people.
The Great Fire
The Great Fire
Year
1845
Size
1,500,000 acres (610,000 ha)
Name
The Great Fire
Area
Oregon
The Silverton Fire
The Silverton Fire
Year
1865
Size
1,000,000 acres (400,000 ha)
Name
The Silverton Fire
Area
Oregon
The Yaquina Fire
The Yaquina Fire
Year
1853
Size
450,000 acres (180,000 ha)
Name
The Yaquina Fire
Area
Oregon
The Coos Fire
The Coos Fire
Year
1868
Size
300,000 acres (120,000 ha)
Name
The Coos Fire
Area
Oregon
Saguenay Fire
Saguenay Fire
Year
1870
Size
964,000 acres (390,000 ha)
Name
Saguenay Fire
Area
Quebec
Peshtigo Fire
Peshtigo Fire
Year
1871
Size
1,200,000 acres (490,000 ha)
Name
Peshtigo Fire
Area
Wisconsin
Notes
Killed between 1,200 and 2,500 people and has the distinction of being the conflagration that caused the most deaths by fire in United States history. It was overshadowed by the Great Chicago Fire that occurred on the same day.
Great Michigan Fire
Great Michigan Fire
Year
1871
Size
2,500,000 acres (1,000,000 ha)
Name
Great Michigan Fire
Area
Michigan
Notes
Overshadowed by the Great Chicago Fire that occurred on the same day.
Bighorn Fire
Bighorn Fire
Year
1876
Size
500,000 acres (200,000 ha)
Name
Bighorn Fire
Area
Wyoming
Thumb Fire
Thumb Fire
Year
1881
Size
1,000,000 acres (400,000 ha)
Name
Thumb Fire
Area
Michigan
Notes
Killed 282 people.
Santiago Canyon Fire
Santiago Canyon Fire
Year
1889
Size
300,000 acres (120,000 ha)
Name
Santiago Canyon Fire
Area
California
Great Hinckley Fire
Great Hinckley Fire
Year
1894
Size
350,000 acres (140,000 ha)
Name
Great Hinckley Fire
Area
Minnesota
Notes
Killed 418+ people and destroyed 12 towns.
Yacolt Burn
Yacolt Burn
Year
1902
Size
238,900 acres (96,700 ha)
Name
Yacolt Burn
Area
Washington and Oregon
Notes
65+ deaths, plus 20 other fire events from 1910 - 1952.
Adirondack Fire
Adirondack Fire
Year
1903
Size
464,000 acres (188,000 ha)
Name
Adirondack Fire
Area
New York
1908 Fernie Fire
1908 Fernie Fire
Year
1908
Size
64,000 acres (25,900 ha)
Name
1908 Fernie Fire
Area
British Columbia
Notes
Town of Fernie, BC destroyed. 22 casualties reported. Cause: logging slash.
Great Fire of 1910
Great Fire of 1910
Year
1910
Size
3,000,000 acres (1,200,000 ha)
Name
Great Fire of 1910
Area
Idaho and Montana
Notes
87 people (including 78 firefighters) killed and several towns destroyed across north Idaho and western Montana. ~2,000 separate blazes burned an area the size of Connecticut in what is believed to have been the largest fire in recorded U . history up to that point, although it has since been exceeded by the 2011 Texas wildfires and the 2020 Calif
Great Porcupine Fire
Great Porcupine Fire
Year
1911
Size
500,000 acres (200,000 ha)
Name
Great Porcupine Fire
Area
Ontario
Notes
Killed between 73 and 200 people.
Great Matheson Fire
Great Matheson Fire
Year
1916
Size
500,000 acres (200,000 ha)
Name
Great Matheson Fire
Area
Ontario
Notes
Killed 223 people according to official figures, and destroyed several towns, Cochrane burnt again after just five years.
Cloquet Fire
Cloquet Fire
Year
1918
Size
100,000 acres (40,000 ha)
Name
Cloquet Fire
Area
Minnesota and Wisconsin
Notes
Killed 453 people.
Great Fire of 1919
Great Fire of 1919
Year
1919
Size
5,000,000 acres (2,023,000 ha)
Name
Great Fire of 1919
Area
Alberta and Saskatchewan
Notes
Spanning from Lac La Biche, AB to almost Prince Albert, SK. Village of Lac La Biche destroyed. 300+ people homeless. An estimated $200,000 in property damage. Cause: drought, high winds, lightning. Forest Fire area burned is an estimation.
Great Fire of 1922
Great Fire of 1922
Year
1922
Size
415,000 acres (168,000 ha)
Name
Great Fire of 1922
Area
Ontario
Notes
Killed 43 people and burnt through 18 townships in the Timiskaming District.
Giant Berkeley Fire
Giant Berkeley Fire
Year
1923
Name
Giant Berkeley Fire
Area
California
Notes
Leveled 50 city blocks, destroying 624 buildings.
1933 Griffith Park Fire
1933 Griffith Park Fire
Year
1933
Size
47 acres (19 ha)
Name
1933 Griffith Park Fire
Area
California
Notes
Killed 29 firefighters and injured more than 150 people.
Tillamook Burn
Tillamook Burn
Year
1933
Size
350,000 acres (140,000 ha)
Name
Tillamook Burn
Area
Oregon
Big Scrub Fire
Big Scrub Fire
Year
1935
Size
35,000 acres (14,000 ha)
Name
Big Scrub Fire
Area
Florida
Notes
The fire spread at 6 miles per hour (9 km/h), the fastest spreading fire in US Forest Service history.
Blackwater Creek Fire
Blackwater Creek Fire
Year
1937
Size
1,700 acres (690 ha)
Name
Blackwater Creek Fire
Area
Wyoming
Notes
Killed 15 firefighters.
Great Fires of 1947
Great Fires of 1947
Year
1947
Size
175,000 acres (71,000 ha)
Name
Great Fires of 1947
Area
Maine
Notes
A series of fires that lasted ten days; 16 people killed. Destroyed part of Bar Harbor and damaged Acadia National Park.
Mann Gulch fire
Mann Gulch fire
Year
1949
Size
4,500 acres (1,800 ha)
Name
Mann Gulch fire
Area
Montana
Notes
12 firefighters who parachuted near the fire and 1 forest ranger died after being overtaken by a 200-foot wall of fire at the top of a gulch near Helena, Montana.
Chinchaga Fire
Chinchaga Fire
Year
1950
Size
3,500,000 acres (1,400,000 ha)
Name
Chinchaga Fire
Area
British Columbia and Alberta
Notes
Largest single North American fire on record. The B . portion was just 90,000 ha.
Rattlesnake Fire
Rattlesnake Fire
Year
1953
Size
1,300 acres (530 ha)
Name
Rattlesnake Fire
Area
California
Notes
Killed 15 firefighters. Well known textbook case used to train firefighters.
Kech Fire
Kech Fire
Year
1958
Size
558,260 acres (225,920 ha)
Name
Kech Fire
Area
British Columbia
Notes
Largest wildfire in BC history until the 2017 Plateau Fire of 521,012 hectares.
Bel Air Fire
Bel Air Fire
Year
1961
Size
16,090 acres (6,510 ha)
Name
Bel Air Fire
Area
California
Notes
484 homes destroyed and ~112 injuries.
Black Saturday Fire
Black Saturday Fire
Year
1963
Size
183,000 acres (74,000 ha)
Name
Black Saturday Fire
Area
New Jersey
Notes
400 buildings destroyed and 7 people killed.
Laguna Fire
Laguna Fire
Year
1970
Size
175,425 acres (70,992 ha)
Name
Laguna Fire
Area
California
Notes
382 homes destroyed and 8 people killed.
Marble Cone Fire
Marble Cone Fire
Year
1977
Size
10,000 acres (4,000 ha)
Name
Marble Cone Fire
Area
California
Notes
Vandenberg Air Force Base, 4 people killed, including the base commander, and two fire chiefs.
Swiss Fire
Swiss Fire
Year
1983
Size
45,000 acres (18,000 ha)
Name
Swiss Fire
Area
British Columbia
Notes
Houston, British Columbia, destroyed 7 residences.
Allen Fire
Allen Fire
Year
1985
Size
93,000 acres (38,000 ha)
Name
Allen Fire
Area
North Carolina
Notes
Nearly 93,000 acres of forest, wetlands and farmland burned in northeastern North Carolina in one of the biggest fires in modern state history.
Siege of 1987
Siege of 1987
Year
1987
Size
650,000 acres (260,000 ha)
Name
Siege of 1987
Area
California and Oregon
Notes
Cause: large lightning storm in late August. The storm started roughly 1,600 new fires, most caused by dry lightning.
Yellowstone fires of 1988
Yellowstone fires of 1988
Year
1988
Size
793,880 acres (321,270 ha)
Name
Yellowstone fires of 1988
Area
Wyoming and Montana
Notes
Never controlled by firefighters; only burned out when a snowstorm hit.
The Manitoba Fires
The Manitoba Fires
Year
1989
Size
8,105,000 acres (3,280,000 ha)
Name
The Manitoba Fires
Area
Manitoba
Notes
1,147 wildfires in central and northern Manitoba in the spring & summer. 24,500 people evacuated from 32 communities. Over 100 homes destroyed. Worst fire season in province's history. Cause: severe drought, human and natural ignition sources.
Painted Cave Fire
Painted Cave Fire
Year
1990
Size
5,000 acres (2,000 ha)
Name
Painted Cave Fire
Area
California
Notes
1 death and 430 buildings burned in this arson fire near Santa Barbara.
Oakland Hills firestorm
Oakland Hills firestorm
Year
1991
Size
1,520 acres (620 ha)
Name
Oakland Hills firestorm
Area
California
Notes
Killed 25 and destroyed 3,469 homes and apartments within the cities of Oakland and Berkeley.
Laguna Beach Fire
Laguna Beach Fire
Year
1993
Size
14,337 acres (5,802 ha)
Name
Laguna Beach Fire
Area
California
Notes
Destroyed 441 homes, burned 14,337 acres causing $528,000,000 in damage.
South Canyon Fire
South Canyon Fire
Year
1994
Size
2,115 acres (856 ha)
Name
South Canyon Fire
Area
Colorado
Notes
Killed 14 firefighters.
Mount Vision Fire
Mount Vision Fire
Year
1995
Size
12,354 acres (4,999 ha)
Name
Mount Vision Fire
Area
California
Notes
45 homes destroyed.
Miller's Reach Fire
Miller's Reach Fire
Year
1996
Size
37,336 acres (15,109 ha)
Name
Miller's Reach Fire
Area
Alaska
Notes
Most destructive wildfire in Alaska history. 344 structures destroyed.
1998 Florida wildfires
1998 Florida wildfires
Year
1998
Size
506,000 acres (205,000 ha)
Name
1998 Florida wildfires
Area
Florida
Notes
4,899 fires, burned 342 homes, and $390 million worth of timber was lost.
Silver Creek Fire
Silver Creek Fire
Year
1998
Size
14,800 acres (6,000 ha)
Name
Silver Creek Fire
Area
British Columbia
Notes
Immediately southwest of Salmon Arm, BC. Cause: lightning. Approximately 7,000 people evacuated. Over 40 buildings destroyed. Cost over $10,000,000 to extinguish.
Big Bar Complex Fire
Big Bar Complex Fire
Year
1999
Size
140,948 acres (57,040 ha)
Name
Big Bar Complex Fire
Area
California
Notes
Started August.
Cerro Grande Fire
Cerro Grande Fire
Year
2000
Size
48,000 acres (19,000 ha)
Name
Cerro Grande Fire
Area
New Mexico
Notes
Burned about 420 dwellings in Los Alamos, New Mexico, damaged >100 buildings at Los Alamos National Laboratory; $1 billion damage.
Thirtymile Fire
Thirtymile Fire
Year
2001
Size
9,300 acres (3,800 ha)
Name
Thirtymile Fire
Area
Washington
Notes
Killed 4 firefighters.
Ponil Complex Fire
Ponil Complex Fire
Year
2002
Size
92,000 acres (37,000 ha)
Name
Ponil Complex Fire
Area
New Mexico
Notes
Also called the Philmont fire.
Mt. Zirkel Complex Fire
Mt. Zirkel Complex Fire
Year
2002
Size
31,016 acres (12,552 ha)
Name
Mt. Zirkel Complex Fire
Area
Colorado
Notes
Started August.
Rodeo–Chediski Fire
Rodeo–Chediski Fire
Year
2002
Size
467,066 acres (189,015 ha)
Name
Rodeo–Chediski Fire
Area
Arizona
Notes
Threatened, but did not burn the town of Show Low, Arizona.
Hayman Fire in Pike National Forest
Hayman Fire in Pike National Forest
Year
2002
Size
137,760 acres (55,750 ha)
Name
Hayman Fire in Pike National Forest
Area
Colorado
Notes
1 civilian and 5 firefighter deaths, 600 structures fires.
Florence/Sour Biscuit Complex Fire
Florence/Sour Biscuit Complex Fire
Year
2002
Size
499,750 acres (202,240 ha)
Name
Florence/Sour Biscuit Complex Fire
Area
Oregon
Notes
$150 million to suppress.
Aspen Fire
Aspen Fire
Year
2003
Size
84,750 acres (34,300 ha)
Name
Aspen Fire
Area
Arizona
Notes
Destroyed large portions of Summerhaven, Arizona.
Okanagan Mountain Park Fire
Okanagan Mountain Park Fire
Year
2003
Size
61,776 acres (25,000 ha)
Name
Okanagan Mountain Park Fire
Area
British Columbia
Notes
Displaced 45,000 inhabitants, destroyed 239 homes and threatened urbanized sections of Kelowna.
B&B Complex fires
B&B Complex fires
Year
2003
Size
90,769 acres (36,733 ha)
Name
B&B Complex fires
Area
Oregon
Notes
Burned along the crest of the Cascade Mountains between Mount Washington and Mount Jefferson including 40,419 acres (163 km2) within the Mount Jefferson Wilderness.
Old Fire
Old Fire
Year
2003
Size
91,281 acres (36,940 ha)
Name
Old Fire
Area
California
Notes
993 homes destroyed, 6 deaths. Simultaneous with the Cedar fire.
Cedar Fire
Cedar Fire
Year
2003
Size
273,246 acres (110,579 ha)
Name
Cedar Fire
Area
California
Notes
Third largest recorded fire in modern California history; burned 2,232 homes and killed 15 in San Diego County.
Taylor Complex Fire
Taylor Complex Fire
Year
2004
Size
1,305,592 acres (528,354 ha)
Name
Taylor Complex Fire
Area
Alaska
Notes
Largest wildfire by acreage of 1997–2007 time period.
Esperanza Fire
Esperanza Fire
Year
2006
Size
40,200 acres (16,300 ha)
Name
Esperanza Fire
Area
California
Notes
Arson-caused wildfire that killed 5 firefighters and destroyed 34 homes and 20 outbuildings.
Day Fire
Day Fire
Year
2006
Size
160,000 acres (65,000 ha)
Name
Day Fire
Area
California
Notes
1 residence burned, no casualties.
Sweat Farm Road/Big Turnaround Complex Fire
Sweat Farm Road/Big Turnaround Complex Fire
Year
2007
Size
564,450 acres (228,420 ha)
Name
Sweat Farm Road/Big Turnaround Complex Fire
Area
Georgia
Notes
Largest recorded fire in Georgia history. 26 structures were lost.
Florida Bugaboo Fire
Florida Bugaboo Fire
Year
2007
Size
124,584 acres (50,417 ha)
Name
Florida Bugaboo Fire
Area
Florida
Notes
Largest fire on record in Florida.
Warren Grove Fire
Warren Grove Fire
Year
2007
Size
18,000 acres (7,300 ha)
Name
Warren Grove Fire
Area
New Jersey
Notes
Forest fire in the New Jersey Pine Barrens caused by a flare from an F-16 jet. Destroyed 4 homes, damaged 53 homes, injured 2.
Milford Flat Fire
Milford Flat Fire
Year
2007
Size
363,052 acres (146,922 ha)
Name
Milford Flat Fire
Area
Utah
Notes
Largest fire on record in Utah.
Murphy Complex Fire
Murphy Complex Fire
Year
2007
Size
653,100 acres (264,300 ha)
Name
Murphy Complex Fire
Area
Idaho and Nevada
Zaca Fire
Zaca Fire
Year
2007
Size
240,207 acres (97,208 ha)
Name
Zaca Fire
Area
California
Notes
Started July. Second largest California fire at the time after the Cedar fire of 2003.
October 2007 California wildfires
October 2007 California wildfires
Year
2007
Size
972,000 acres (393,000 ha)
Name
October 2007 California wildfires
Area
California
Notes
A series of wildfires that killed 9 people and injured 85 (including 61 firefighters). Burned at least 1,500 homes from the Santa Barbara County to the U .–Mexico border.
Evans Road Wildfire
Evans Road Wildfire
Year
2008
Size
41,534 acres (16,808 ha)
Name
Evans Road Wildfire
Area
North Carolina
Notes
Peat fire started on 1 June by lightning strike during North Carolina's drought – the worst on record.
2008 California wildfires
2008 California wildfires
Year
2008
Size
1,557,293 acres (630,214 ha)
Name
2008 California wildfires
Area
California
Notes
In northern California, the fires were mostly started by lightning. In Santa Barbara (southern California), the Gap fire endangered homes and lives. The Basin Complex and Gap fire were the highest priority fires in the state at this time.
Highway 31 Fire
Highway 31 Fire
Year
2009
Size
19,130 acres (7,740 ha)
Name
Highway 31 Fire
Area
South Carolina
Notes
Brush fire in Myrtle Beach, the most destructive fire in terms of loss in state history. Destroyed 76 homes and damaged 97.
Brittany Triangle Fire
Brittany Triangle Fire
Year
2009
Size
164,500 acres (66,600 ha)
Name
Brittany Triangle Fire
Area
British Columbia
Notes
Also known as the Lava Canyon fire, this was the largest fire in BC in 2009. Started on 31 July by lightning, this fire made news when it threatened a wild horse population.
Binta Lake Fire
Binta Lake Fire
Year
2010
Size
98,842 acres (40,000 ha)
Name
Binta Lake Fire
Area
British Columbia
Notes
BC's largest blaze of 2010, resulted in evacuation orders and alerts. Burned 70,000 acres in a 12-hour period.
Wallow Fire
Wallow Fire
Year
2011
Size
538,049 acres (217,741 ha)
Name
Wallow Fire
Area
Arizona and New Mexico
Notes
The largest fire in Arizona state history. In one 24-hour burn period (6/6-6/7), it consumed 77,769 acres of forest land.
Bastrop County Complex Fire
Bastrop County Complex Fire
Year
2011
Size
34,000 acres (14,000 ha)
Name
Bastrop County Complex Fire
Area
Texas
Notes
The worst fire in Texas state history, destroyed over 1,500 homes.
Year
Size
Name
Area
Notes
1825
3,000,000 acres (1,200,000 ha)
1825 Miramichi fire
New Brunswick
Killed between 160 and 300 people.
1845
1,500,000 acres (610,000 ha)
The Great Fire
Oregon
1865
1,000,000 acres (400,000 ha)
The Silverton Fire
Oregon
1853
450,000 acres (180,000 ha)
The Yaquina Fire
Oregon
1868
300,000 acres (120,000 ha)
The Coos Fire
Oregon
1870
964,000 acres (390,000 ha)
Saguenay Fire
Quebec
1871
1,200,000 acres (490,000 ha)
Peshtigo Fire
Wisconsin
Killed between 1,200 and 2,500 people and has the distinction of being the conflagration that caused the most deaths by fire in United States history. It was overshadowed by the Great Chicago Fire that occurred on the same day.
1871
2,500,000 acres (1,000,000 ha)
Great Michigan Fire
Michigan
Overshadowed by the Great Chicago Fire that occurred on the same day.
1876
500,000 acres (200,000 ha)
Bighorn Fire
Wyoming
1881
1,000,000 acres (400,000 ha)
Thumb Fire
Michigan
Killed 282 people.
1889
300,000 acres (120,000 ha)
Santiago Canyon Fire
California
1894
350,000 acres (140,000 ha)
Great Hinckley Fire
Minnesota
Killed 418+ people and destroyed 12 towns.
1898
2,500,000 acres (1,000,000 ha)
South Carolina
1902
238,900 acres (96,700 ha)
Yacolt Burn
Washington and Oregon
65+ deaths, plus 20 other fire events from 1910 - 1952.
1903
464,000 acres (188,000 ha)
Adirondack Fire
New York
1908
64,000 acres (25,900 ha)
1908 Fernie Fire
British Columbia
Town of Fernie, BC destroyed. 22 casualties reported. Cause: logging slash.
1910
3,000,000 acres (1,200,000 ha)
Great Fire of 1910
Idaho and Montana
87 people (including 78 firefighters) killed and several towns destroyed across north Idaho and western Montana. ~2,000 separate blazes burned an area the size of Connecticut in what is believed to have been the largest fire in recorded U . history up to that point, although it has since been exceeded by the 2011 Texas wildfires and the 2020 Calif
1911
500,000 acres (200,000 ha)
Great Porcupine Fire
Ontario
Killed between 73 and 200 people.
1916
500,000 acres (200,000 ha)
Great Matheson Fire
Ontario
Killed 223 people according to official figures, and destroyed several towns, Cochrane burnt again after just five years.
1918
100,000 acres (40,000 ha)
Cloquet Fire
Minnesota and Wisconsin
Killed 453 people.
1919
5,000,000 acres (2,023,000 ha)
Great Fire of 1919
Alberta and Saskatchewan
Spanning from Lac La Biche, AB to almost Prince Albert, SK. Village of Lac La Biche destroyed. 300+ people homeless. An estimated $200,000 in property damage. Cause: drought, high winds, lightning. Forest Fire area burned is an estimation.
1922
415,000 acres (168,000 ha)
Great Fire of 1922
Ontario
Killed 43 people and burnt through 18 townships in the Timiskaming District.
1923
Giant Berkeley Fire
California
Leveled 50 city blocks, destroying 624 buildings.
1933
47 acres (19 ha)
1933 Griffith Park Fire
California
Killed 29 firefighters and injured more than 150 people.
1933
350,000 acres (140,000 ha)
Tillamook Burn
Oregon
1935
35,000 acres (14,000 ha)
Big Scrub Fire
Florida
The fire spread at 6 miles per hour (9 km/h), the fastest spreading fire in US Forest Service history.
1937
1,700 acres (690 ha)
Blackwater Creek Fire
Wyoming
Killed 15 firefighters.
1947
175,000 acres (71,000 ha)
Great Fires of 1947
Maine
A series of fires that lasted ten days; 16 people killed. Destroyed part of Bar Harbor and damaged Acadia National Park.
1949
4,500 acres (1,800 ha)
Mann Gulch fire
Montana
12 firefighters who parachuted near the fire and 1 forest ranger died after being overtaken by a 200-foot wall of fire at the top of a gulch near Helena, Montana.
1950
3,500,000 acres (1,400,000 ha)
Chinchaga Fire
British Columbia and Alberta
Largest single North American fire on record. The B . portion was just 90,000 ha.
1953
1,300 acres (530 ha)
Rattlesnake Fire
California
Killed 15 firefighters. Well known textbook case used to train firefighters.
1958
558,260 acres (225,920 ha)
Kech Fire
British Columbia
Largest wildfire in BC history until the 2017 Plateau Fire of 521,012 hectares.
1961
16,090 acres (6,510 ha)
Bel Air Fire
California
484 homes destroyed and ~112 injuries.
1963
183,000 acres (74,000 ha)
Black Saturday Fire
New Jersey
400 buildings destroyed and 7 people killed.
1970
175,425 acres (70,992 ha)
Laguna Fire
California
382 homes destroyed and 8 people killed.
1977
10,000 acres (4,000 ha)
Marble Cone Fire
California
Vandenberg Air Force Base, 4 people killed, including the base commander, and two fire chiefs.
1983
45,000 acres (18,000 ha)
Swiss Fire
British Columbia
Houston, British Columbia, destroyed 7 residences.
1985
93,000 acres (38,000 ha)
Allen Fire
North Carolina
Nearly 93,000 acres of forest, wetlands and farmland burned in northeastern North Carolina in one of the biggest fires in modern state history.
1987
650,000 acres (260,000 ha)
Siege of 1987
California and Oregon
Cause: large lightning storm in late August. The storm started roughly 1,600 new fires, most caused by dry lightning.
1988
793,880 acres (321,270 ha)
Yellowstone fires of 1988
Wyoming and Montana
Never controlled by firefighters; only burned out when a snowstorm hit.
1989
8,105,000 acres (3,280,000 ha)
The Manitoba Fires
Manitoba
1,147 wildfires in central and northern Manitoba in the spring & summer. 24,500 people evacuated from 32 communities. Over 100 homes destroyed. Worst fire season in province's history. Cause: severe drought, human and natural ignition sources.
1990
5,000 acres (2,000 ha)
Painted Cave Fire
California
1 death and 430 buildings burned in this arson fire near Santa Barbara.
1991
1,520 acres (620 ha)
Oakland Hills firestorm
California
Killed 25 and destroyed 3,469 homes and apartments within the cities of Oakland and Berkeley.
1993
14,337 acres (5,802 ha)
Laguna Beach Fire
California
Destroyed 441 homes, burned 14,337 acres causing $528,000,000 in damage.
1994
2,115 acres (856 ha)
South Canyon Fire
Colorado
Killed 14 firefighters.
1995
12,354 acres (4,999 ha)
Mount Vision Fire
California
45 homes destroyed.
1996
37,336 acres (15,109 ha)
Miller's Reach Fire
Alaska
Most destructive wildfire in Alaska history. 344 structures destroyed.
1998
506,000 acres (205,000 ha)
1998 Florida wildfires
Florida
4,899 fires, burned 342 homes, and $390 million worth of timber was lost.
1998
14,800 acres (6,000 ha)
Silver Creek Fire
British Columbia
Immediately southwest of Salmon Arm, BC. Cause: lightning. Approximately 7,000 people evacuated. Over 40 buildings destroyed. Cost over $10,000,000 to extinguish.

References

  1. The Breath of the Black Dragon in Russia and China, The New York Times (1 October 1988)
    https://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/01/opinion/the-breath-of-the-black-dragon-in-russia-and-china.html
  2. The Standard
    https://web.archive.org/web/20140326092309/http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=26146&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=19970126&sear_year=1997
  3. The New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/04/world/world-news-briefs-israel-s-worst-forest-fire-is-finally-put-out.html
  4. The Straits Times
    https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/fourteen-die-in-kazakhstan-forest-fires
  5. syriahr
    https://www.syriahr.com/en/164132/
  6. Syrians for Truth & Justice
    https://stj-sy.org/en/front-lines-aflame-crop-fires-ravage-syrias-jazirah-region-scorching-fields-and-destroying-harvests/
  7. almasdarnews
    https://web.archive.org/web/20200908020234/https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/syria-overwhelmed-by-massive-fires-as-large-number-people-become-displaced/
  8. Arab News
    https://www.arabnews.com/node/1732191/middle-east
  9. garda
    https://www.garda.com/crisis24/news-alerts/387871/syria-wildfires-burning-in-latakia-homs-and-tartous-provinces-october-10
  10. The Guardian
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/12/arctic-wildfires-c02-carbon-emissions-same-sweden
  11. France 24
    https://www.france24.com/en/video/20250806-over-11-000-hectares-engulfed-in-southern-france-wildfire
  12. Parallaxi Magazine
    https://parallaximag.gr/life/53-983-oi-pyrkagies-stin-ellada-apo-to-1980
  13. www
    http://www.fao.org/3/ad653e/ad653e64.htm
  14. A third casualty is often mentioned, but she did not die in the fire; she was involved in a collision with a fire engine
  15. Portugal wildfire spreads towards tourist beach spots Archived 14 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Sky News, 7 August
    https://iwradio.co.uk/2018/08/07/portugal-wildfire-spreads-towards-tourist-beach-spots/
  16. "Forest Conflagrations in Siberia"
    https://academic.oup.com/jof/article-abstract/23/4/365/4752947?redirectedFrom=PDF
  17. International Journal of Remote Sensing
    https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2009IJRS...30.1479H
  18. "Huge Siberia wildfires kill 26"
    http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/469210/news/world/huge-siberia-wildfires-kill-26
  19. "The Arctic is on fire - how bad is it?"
    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49125391
  20. "'European heatwave: Spain battles major Catalonia wildfire'"
    https://web.archive.org/web/20190703150721/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48790242.html
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