Facts + Statistics: Wildfires

Wildland fires

As many as 90 percent of wildland fires in the United States are caused by people, according to the U.S. Department of Interior. Some human-caused fires result from campfires left unattended, the burning of debris, downed power lines, negligently discarded cigarettes and intentional acts of arson. The remaining 10 percent are started by lightning or lava.

According to Verisk’s 2019 Wildfire Risk Analysis 4.5 million U.S. homes were identified at high or extreme risk of wildfire, with more than 2 million in California alone. 

Wildfires by year

2020: From January 1 to October 16, 2020 there were 45,939 wildfires compared with 43,509 wildfires in the same period in 2019, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. About 8.3 million acres were burned in the 2020 period, compared with 4.5 million acres in 2019. Six of the top 20 largest California wildfires fires occurred in 2020, according to CalFire’s list.

On September 28, a state of emergency was declared in California in response to the wildfires that burned through Napa, Sonoma and Shasta Counties, where tens of thousands were forced to evacuate.

By October 16, the Glass Fire in Napa County and Sonoma County burned about 67,500 acres and destroyed 1,555 structures. State authorities ordered 70,000 residents of Sonoma and Napa Counties to evacuate, including the entire city of Calistoga in Napa Valley. The Creek fire in Fresno and Madera counties has burned 348,000 acres, destroying 983 structures.

In early October, 65 large fires were burning in California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and five other states consuming over 2 million acres. In Oregon thousands of residents evacuated their homes to escape the flames that scorched more than 230,000 acres. In California fires are burning from the north all the way down to the Mexican border, stretching across approximately 800 miles of landscape. In Washington, more acres had been burned in 2020 than in the past 12 fire seasons. The fires are being fueled by continuing dry conditions.

In August, a series of lightning strikes started hundreds of fires across Northern California. Dubbed the August Complex fire, they are the largest fire in California’s history, burning 1.03 million acres. Another fire, the SCU Lightning Complex, located in five counties in northern California near San Francisco, is the third largest fire on record in the state, burning almost half a million acres. The LNU Lightning Complex spanning five counties, was nearly as large. The North Complex fire, encompassing three counties burned 319,000 acres and was the sixth largest fire in the state’s history. The SQF complex fire was the 8th largest California fire, burning 168,000 acres.

2019: In 2019 there were 50,477 wildfires compared with 58,083 wildfires in 2018, according to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). About 4.7 million acres were burned in 2019 while there were 8.8 million acres burned in 2018.

The Kincade Fire in Sonoma County ignited on October 23, and burned about 78,000 acres—an area more than twice the size of the city of San Francisco. According to CalFire, 374 buildings were destroyed, and 60 more were damaged.

The Getty fire in Los Angeles broke out on October 28, fueled by strong Santa Ana winds, with wind gusts up to 80 miles an hour and burned 745 acres.

In Ventura County, the Maria fire began on October 1 and burned 10,000 acres and destroyed four structures. The Ranch fire, ignited November 3, burned 2,500 acres.

2018: In 2018 there were 58,083 wildfires, compared with 71,499 wildfires in 2017, according to the NIFC. About 8.8 million acres were burned in 2018, compared with 10 million in 2017. The Mendocino Complex Fire broke out on July 27 in Northern California and grew to be the largest fire state history to date, with 459,000 acres burned. The Carr Fire, which broke out on July 23 in Northern California, wabs the eighth most destructive fire in the state’s history to date. Eight fatalities are attributed to the fire, and 1,614 structures were destroyed. Loss estimates are not yet available from the Property Claims Services (PCS) unit of ISO. The Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I) estimates that insured losses from the Carr Fire totaled between $1 billion and $1.5 billion in dollars when it occurred.

The Camp Fire broke out in Butte County, Northern California on November 8 and became the deadliest and most destructive fire on record in the state to date. According to Cal Fire statistics 85 people perished. About 153,000 acres were burned and 18,800 structures were destroyed. Loss estimates are not yet available from the Property Claims Services (PCS) unit of ISO. The Triple-I estimates that insured losses from the Camp Fire totaled between $8.5 billion and $10.5 billion in dollars when it occurred.

The Hill and Woolsey Fires started on November 8. The Woolsey Fire burned about 97,000 acres, according to Cal Fire. It destroyed about 1,600 structures and killed three people. Loss estimates are not yet available from the Property Claims Services (PCS) unit of ISO. The Triple-I estimates that insured losses from the Woolsey Fire totaled between $3 billion and $5 billion in dollars when it occurred. The Hill Fire burned about 4,500 acres and destroyed four structures.

2017: In 2017 there were 71,499 wildfires, compared to 65,575 wildfires in 2016, according to the NIFC. About 10 million acres were burned in 2017, compared with 5.4 million in 2016. The number of acres burned in 2017 was higher than the 10-year average. From October 6 to October 25, eight counties in Northern California were hit by a devastating wildfire outbreak that caused at least 23 fatalities, burned 245,000 acres and destroyed more than 8,700 structures.

The Tubbs Fire began on October 8 and destroyed almost 37,000 acres and 5,600 structures and claimed 22 victims. The Triple-I estimates that insured losses from the Tubbs Fire totaled between $7.5 billion and $9.7 billion in dollars when it occurred. The Atlas Fire also began on October 8 and consumed 52,000 acres and destroyed 120 structures. Six people perished in the Atlas Fire. According to the Triple-I the Atlas Fire caused insured losses of between $2.5 billion and $4.5 billion when it occurred. The Thomas Fire was ignited on December 4. It burned 282,000 acres and destroyed 1,063 structures. Loss estimates are not yet available from the Property Claims Services (PCS) unit of ISO. The Triple-I estimates that insured losses from the Thomas Fire totaled between $1.5 billion and $3.5 billion when it occurred.

Annual Number of Acres Burned in Wildland Fires, 1980-2019

 

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*2004 fires and acres do not include state lands for North Carolina.

Source: National Interagency Fire Center.

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FireLine®, Verisk’s wildfire risk management tool, assesses wildfire risk at the address level using advanced remote sensing and digital mapping technology. The three primary factors considered in analyzing wildfire risk are distribution of vegetative fuel, steepness of slope and degree of access for firefighting equipment. FireLine assigns a wildfire hazard score for each factor plus a cumulative score, on a scale from negligible to extreme risk. The following chart ranks the most wildfire-prone western U.S. states by high to extreme wildfire risk as of 2019. According to Verisk estimates, more than 4.5 million U.S. properties are at high to extreme wildfire risk.

Wildfire Lossses In The United States, 2010-2019 (1)

(2019 $ millions)

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(1) Adjusted for inflation by Munich Re based on the Consumer Price Index.

Source: © 2020 Munich Re, NatCatSERVICE.

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