Worst Fire Season Ever? | 137 Large Wildfires Impacting 7.8 Million Acres of Land Right Now

Chris Wallner | Post Tag for FireFirePost Tag for BackcountryBackcountry
Map of large wildfires in the US.

According to InciWeb, there are 137 large wildfires impacting 7.8 million acres of land in the United States right now. It’s only September and 2017 is already the 3rd worst year for wildfires in the past decade. Extreme heat and a persistent drought, despite the wet winter, are to blame for the horrible damage. States are having trouble getting funding to stop these wildfires due to other natural disasters, such as hurricanes and earthquakes. Colder temperatures and above average precipitation are forecasted for the western US, which should help contain these fires.

Wildfires By State:

Montana: 48

Lolo National Forest, MT. Image: Rion Sanders

California: 34

Burbank, CA. Image: Paul Mounce

Oregon: 26

High Cascade Complex Fire, OR. Image: Stephanie Yao Long

Idaho: 24

Idaho Wildfire. Image: David McNew

Nevada: 15

Nevada residents evacuating. Image: Eric Paul Zamora

Arizona: 14

Smokey Phoenix, AZ. Image: Arizona Department of Environment Quality

Washington: 13

Eagle Creek Fire seen from Washington. Image: Tristan Fortsch

Colorado: 10

Big Red Fire, CO. Image: Inciweb/T. Roerick

New Mexico: 5

Haze over Santa Fe, NM. Image: Gabriela Campos

Wyoming: 3

Cowboy Wildfire, WY. Image: Mardi Peterson Mohler

Utah: 3

Smoke engulfs the Wasatch Front, UT. Image: Scott G Winterton

Alaska: 2

Aggie Creek Wildfire, AK In 2015. Image: USFS

South Dakota: 1

Elk Run Wildfire, SD. Image: KEVN Black Hills FOX

North Dakota: 1

The 10 Tanker heading to fight fires in ND/MT. Image: Larry Mayer

**There are currently 198 Active Wildfires in the US, 137 of which are ‘Large’**

Posted by Chris Wallner |

Related Articles

Got an opinion? Let us know...