Wildfire facts from four decades of mapped fires

Every fact here is computed from federal burned-area maps since 1984 and NOAA smoke analysis since 2011.

01
August Complex (2020) is the largest mapped US fire, at 1,067,970 acres. August Complex
02
2 fires have passed a million acres: August Complex and Smokehouse Creek. The largest fires
03
2020 is the largest season, at 9.7 million acres. 2020
04
7 of the 20 largest fires have burned since 2015. The largest fires
05
Alaska has burned the most, at 38.4 million acres. Acres by state
06
Big Turnaround Complex (2007) in Florida and Georgia is the largest fire outside the West and the southern Plains, at 328,707 acres. Big Turnaround Complex
07
The largest fire to cross a state line is Smokehouse Creek (2024), across Oklahoma and Texas. Smokehouse Creek
08
23 states have no mapped fire of 25,000 acres or more, including Alabama, Arkansas and Connecticut. Every state's largest
09
July is the most common month for a large fire to ignite. Ignition by month
10
Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, AK, has had 801 large fires, more than any other county. Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area
11
In 2023, the average US county had 46 days of medium or heavy smoke overhead. Smoke by year

The 12 largest fires