Olmstead D Fire

199644,522 acresWyoming

The Olmstead D Fire burned 44,522 acres, about 70 square miles, across Converse County. It began on August 9, 1996.

Watch how it happened

Olmstead D Fire · 1996

How it happened

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

About this replay
IgnitionAugust 9, 1996Historical replay — order not recorded
Final area44,522 ac
Revealed—
Counties1

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 Olmstead D Fire
Burn severity by class
SeverityShareAcres
Highmost vegetation consumed, soils altered8.7%3,865
Moderatemixed: many trees killed, some survive59%26,166
Lowsurface fire, most trees survive23%10,340
Unburned to lowislands inside the perimeter, little change9.3%4,150

9% of the area inside the perimeter burned at high severity, about 3,865 acres; 67% burned at moderate or high 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
Converse CountyWY44,561

Other large fires in Wyoming in 1996

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