Although thousands of fires have ignited across the country in 2014, to-date this year’s fires have burned fewer acres than other fire seasons since 2004.
As of July 3, fires have burned 909,848 acres across the United States, according to fire statistics released by the National Interagency Fire Center last week.
That’s about half of the total acres burned by July 3, 2013. It’s also the least amount of acreage burned by July 3 since 2004.
By July, fires typically consume more than one million acres, and in some cases two or three million.
- The number of active fires as of July 3 is 26,684. That’s about average since 2004.
- Since 2004 the “largest” fire season was 2011 when 4,859,621 acres had burned by July 3.
- There are 12 active “large” fires on NIFC’s radar this month. Most are in California and Nevada.
- As of July 3, six new large fires were reported.
09,848909,848
Check the end of the Sit Report for 10-year averages. 10-year Avg. In 40K fires. Thus 2014 being at 70% of normal. Simple math: less fires=less acres burned.
It’s not that simple. The number of fires are decreasing while the average size is increasing.
https://wildfiretoday.com/2018/01/10/nearly-a-record-breaking-year-for-acres-burned-in-the-u-s/
Seige of 1987: China-Chance complex and others nearby. They told us the air quality in Happy Camp and The Seid Valley was as bad as smoking two packs of cigarettes/day. Crazy, dangerous year.
For us old-timers, it’s always interesting to look back at the 1987 fire season: nothing special until August 29th, then a lightning bust started around Sonora CA and ended in Roseburg OR. All Type 1 IMTs went out in 24 hours, the Military was called in, and we fought fire in southern Oregon on the “Silver Fire” until mid-November. Multiple day inversions in NorCal, the “Hog Fire” and lots of not-so-pleasant memories, back in the days of 21+ day assignments.
As another old timer I remember the Siege of ’87. I sent 34 fun filled smoky days in Happy Camp. The night time ride down the Klamath river through Seiad Valley with both ridges in flame is one of my great fire memories….The Hog Fire was another great event…but the Hog Fire was in 1977….
Mother Nature will always get the last say! Is it possible that initial aggressive air tanker work (lots of SEATS this year) and the DC 10’s are making a difference? Or the public awareness is up with ignitions down? If the trend of low acreage continues through 2014 there goes the Fed fire budget, it will take a big “hit”.
I think part of Chris’ point is that it ain’t over til it’s over, which given how dry things are in many parts of the west should be particularly the case this year. What’s striking to me is the use of crisis rhetoric concerning wildfires has continued (often to use the issue as ammo for other causes such as supporting state/nation intervention against global warming), so if one simply reads mainstream news articles, there may be a sense that this was a non-issue 10 years ago, and now is both markedly worse every year, and up there with things like real estate foreclosures in terms of national pain. We are due for a much bigger fire year sometime soon, and then I’m sure the rhetoric will notch up even higher.
It would be interesting to now how this year at this point compares to some of the big fire years, 1967, 1988, 2000 and others.
I was in Yellowstone over the Fourth of July 1988 and never saw a wisp of smoke.
Ryan – while there have been thousands of fires so far in 2014, I think that there are only 100-200 at most actively burning today, and most of those are in mop-up.
You are absolutely right. Have changed the post to reflect that thousands of fires have ignited in 2014 since the start of the year.
Thanks!
Ryan
Also interesting that more than 55% of the 2014 acres burned occurred in the Southern Area and Alaska (559,000 acres).
But more important, we have already had 4 wildfire-related fatalities in 2014: stay safe.