Wildfire Statistics

"Wildfires are unplanned fires, including lightning-caused fires, unauthorized human-caused fires, and escaped prescribed fire projects. States are responsible for responding to wildfires that begin on nonfederal (state, local, and private) lands, except for lands protected by federal agencies under cooperative agreements. The federal government is responsible for responding to wildfires that begin on federal lands. The Forest Service (FS)—within the U.S. Department of Agriculture—carries out wildfire management and response across the 193 million acres of the National Forest System (NFS). The Department of the Interior (DOI) manages wildfire response for more than 400 million acres of national parks, wildlife refuges and preserves, other public lands, and Indian reservations.

Wildfire statistics help to illustrate past U.S. wildfire activity. Nationwide data compiled by the National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC) indicate that the number of annual wildfires is variable but has decreased slightly over the last 30 years and the number of acres affected annually, while also variable, generally has increased (see Figure 1). Since 2000, an annual average of 70,072 wildfires has burned an annual average of 7.0 million acres. The acreage figure is more than double the average annual acreage burned in the 1990s (3.3 million acres), although a greater number of fires occurred annually in the 1990s (78,600 average).."
Wildfires 

CDC’s Tracking Network in Action

"See how the Tracking Network’s data and tools help keep people safe and improve where we live, work, and play.

CDC’s Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (Tracking Network) has been connecting people with vital public health information since 2009. Over the past decade, CDC has made continual improvements to the Tracking Network’s data by increasing its accessibility, updating its timeliness, and expanding geographic coverage. Today, Tracking Network users can view over 500 environmental health measures and more than two billion rows of nationally comparable data in customizable maps, charts, and tables, and interactive infographics and dashboards.

Beyond Data: Tracking in Action

The Tracking Network’s Wildfire Smoke Tool shows how communities might be affected by wildfire smoke.

Tracking Network data allow users to stay informed about environmental health trends and emerging issues. As the 2020 wildfire and hurricane seasons showed us, having up-to-date, reliable information can be key to staying safe.

• Hurricane Laura: Before, during, and after the hurricane, CDC used Tracking Network data maps on flood vulnerability, community characteristics, and population characteristics to identify potential public health issues within the areas most affected. The data helped CDC communicators select and share relevant health and safety messages for those communities.
• Wildfires: The Tracking Network’s wildfire smoke tool provided information to help public health practitioners and emergency responders in the western United States identify populations at risk for exposure to wildfire smoke, keep the public informed, and facilitate response planning..."
  CDC tracking network 

 

Protect Yourself from Wildfire Smoke

"Dry conditions in much of the United States increase the potential for wildfires in or near wilderness areas. Stay alert for wildfire warnings and take action to protect yourself and your family from wildfire smoke.

When wildfires burn either in your area or many miles away, they produce smoke that may reach your community. Wildfire smoke is a mixture of gases and fine particles from burning trees and other plant materials. This smoke can hurt your eyes, irritate your respiratory system, and worsen chronic heart and lung diseases.

Who is at greatest risk from wildfire smoke?

• People who have heart or lung diseases, like heart disease, lung disease, or asthma, are at higher risk from wildfire smoke.
• Older adults are more likely to be affected by smoke. This may be due to their increased risk of heart and lung diseases.
• Children are more likely to be affected by health threats from smoke. Children’s airways are still developing and they breathe more air per pound of body weight than adults. Also, children often spend more time outdoors engaged in activity and play..."

Wildfires

Protect Yourself from Wildfire Smoke

"Dry conditions in much of the United States increase the potential for wildfires in or near wilderness areas. Stay alert for wildfire warnings and take action to protect yourself and your family from wildfire smoke.

When wildfires burn in your area, they produce smoke that may reach your community. Wildfire smoke is a mixture of gases and fine particles from burning trees and other plant materials. This smoke can hurt your eyes, irritate your respiratory system, and worsen chronic heart and lung diseases.

Who is at greatest risk from wildfire smoke?

• People who have heart or lung diseases, like heart disease, chest pain, lung disease, or asthma, are at higher risk from wildfire smoke.
• Older adults are more likely to be affected by smoke. This may be due to their increased risk of heart and lung diseases.
• Children are more likely to be affected by health threats from smoke. Children’s airways are still developing and they breathe more air per pound of body weight than adults. Also, children often spend more time outdoors engaged in activity and play...".
  Wildfire smoke

Protect Yourself from Wildfire Smoke

"Dry conditions in parts of the United States increase the potential for wildfires in or near wilderness areas. Stay alert for wildfire warnings and take action to protect yourself and your family from wildfire smoke.

When wildfires burn in your area, they produce smoke that may reach your community. Wildfire smoke is a mixture of gases and fine particles from burning trees and other plant materials. This smoke can hurt your eyes, irritate your respiratory system, and worsen chronic heart and lung diseases.

Who is at greatest risk from wildfire smoke?

• People who have heart or lung diseases, like heart disease, chest pain, lung disease, or asthma, are at higher risk from wildfire smoke.
• Older adults are more likely to be affected by smoke. This may be due to their increased risk of heart and lung diseases.
• Children are more likely to be affected by health threats from smoke. Children’s airways are still developing and they breathe more air per pound of body weight than adults. Also, children often spend more time outdoors engaged in activity and play..."

Wildfires

Wildfire Safety

"When wildfires burn in your area, they produce smoke that may reach your community. Smoke from wildfires is a mixture of gases and fine particles from burning trees and other plant materials. Smoke can hurt your eyes, irritate your respiratory system, and worsen chronic heart and lung diseases..."
Wildfires

Large Western Fires Increase

Researchers explore the reasons for the recent increase in the number of large western fires and what to do about them.

Large Western Fires

Reducing Wildfire Risk and Protecting Our Drinking Water in a Changing Climate

"Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell this week announced an historic agreement between the Department of Agriculture's Forest Service and the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation to focus on proactively restoring forest lands around important watersheds and preventing costly, destructive wildfires in these areas..."
Reducing Firefire Risk and Drinking Water

Wildfire smoke

"Dry conditions in parts of the United States increase the potential for wildfires in or near wilderness areas. Stay alert for wildfire warnings and take action to protect yourself and your family from wildfire smoke.."
Protect yourself from wildlife smoke

Wildfires

Assorted information on things to do to protect your home from wildfires.