Unnamed Fire

198732,544 acresKentucky and Virginia

The Unnamed Fire burned 32,544 acres, about 51 square miles, across 2 counties. It began on November 13, 1987.

Watch how it happened

Unnamed Fire · 1987

How it happened

See how severely each place burned, revealed outward from where it started.

About this replay
IgnitionNovember 13, 1987Historical replay — order not recorded
Final area32,544 ac
Revealed—
Counties2

How severely it burned

Burn severity inside the final perimeter, classified from Landsat images taken before and after the fire.

Map of burn severity across the Unnamed Fire
Burn severity by class
SeverityShareAcres
Moderatemixed: many trees killed, some survive0.9%277
Lowsurface fire, most trees survive82%26,676
Unburned to lowislands inside the perimeter, little change17%5,591

No part of the fire was classed as high severity; 1% burned at moderate severity.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (U.S. Geological Survey and USDA Forest Service). Classes come from the change in a Landsat burn index (dNBR) between images before and after the fire; acres are each class’s share of the fire’s mapped area.

Where it burned

Acres inside each county, measured from the satellite-mapped perimeter.

Acres burned by county
Pike CountyKY31,480
Buchanan CountyVA1,084

Other large fires in Kentucky and Virginia in 1987

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service). Type recorded: Other.