A spike in wildfire activity throughout the United States has kicked off an early fire season, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
An estimated 9,520 wildfires have burned 269,986 acres across the nation as of March 14, the NIFC said. The year’s ongoing fire total is above the 10-year average of 6,629 wildfires, but below the 10-year average burned acreage of 431,052.
Over the past decade, the only years that have had more wildfires as of March 14 were 2022 with 12,088 wildfires, and 2017 with 10,328 wildfires.
The trend doesn’t look to be slowing down in the coming months. Numerous states will have significant wildland fire potential between March and June, according to the center’s outlook.
Large portions of multiple southeast states, including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, have heightened wildfire potential for all four months, driven in part by past hurricane damage.
“The most notable concerns will be from Hurricane Helene’s impacts across northeast Florida into southern and eastern Georgia, western South Carolina, the North Carolina mountains, and adjacent southwest Virginia into northeast Tennessee,” NIFC said. “Areas from the Florida Big Bend into southern Georgia also saw hurricane damage from Hurricanes Idalia in 2023 and Debby last year. Debris burning, access issues in the mountains, excess dead and increasingly fire-receptive fuels, along with newly opened canopies, will all contribute to enhanced wildland fire potential as long as the fire environment allows.”
Portions of Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas, will also have heightened wildfire potential, along with southern areas of Alaska.
