Wildfires

Wildfires of 1900

The Interagency Fire Perimeter History holds 115 mapped wildfires from 1900, covering 162,528 acres. 28 fires reached 1,000 acres or more in at least one record; the largest was the Unnamed Fire in Oregon, at 26,765 acres. For 1900 the record is what forests, parks and agencies mapped and kept, not every fire that burned.

Fires of 1,000 acres or more
28
Perimeters on file
115

1899 1901

Map

Every fire of 1900 with a page here, sized by the acres burned. Select one for its perimeter and record.

Largest fires28

Wildfires of 1,000 acres or more, largest first. The size is the reported final size where a fire report survives, else the burned area MTBS mapped, else the area inside the final perimeter.

FireStateAcresStartCause
Unnamed FireOR26,765
Big FireCA16,961
Unnamed FireOR13,288
Unnamed FireOR12,820
Unnamed FireID9,821
Unnamed FireOR6,850
Unnamed FireOR5,148
Unnamed FireOR4,686
Unnamed FireOR3,585
Unnamed FireOR3,374
Unnamed FireOR2,423
Unnamed FireOR1,977
Unnamed FireOR1,954
Unnamed FireOR1,942
Unnamed FireOR1,905
Unnamed FireOR1,741
Unnamed FireOR1,736
Unnamed FireOR1,571
Unnamed FireOR1,511
Unnamed FireOR1,413
Unknown3 FireOR1,346
Unnamed FireOR1,327
Unknown1 FireOR1,309
Unnamed FireCA1,300
Unnamed FireOR1,275
Unnamed FireOR1,226
Unnamed FireOR1,139
Unnamed FireOR1,061

Prescribed fires1

Planned burns of 1,000 acres or more that MTBS or the perimeter history recorded.

FireStateAcresStartCause
Dana/Cooper/Wine Prescribed FireCA1,284

By state

StateFires of 1,000+ acresTheir acres
Oregon25103,370
California218,261
Idaho19,821

By year

2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014

Before 2014, back to 1850

2010s 2013 2012 2011 2010

2000s 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000

1990s 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990

1980s 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980

1970s 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970

1960s 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964 1963 1962 1961 1960

1950s 1959 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 1952 1951 1950

1940s 1949 1948 1947 1946 1945 1944 1943 1942 1941 1940

1930s 1939 1938 1937 1936 1935 1934 1933 1932 1931 1930

1920s 1929 1928 1927 1926 1925 1924 1923 1922 1921 1920

1910s 1919 1918 1917 1916 1915 1914 1913 1912 1911 1910

1900s 1909 1908 1907 1906 1905 1903 1902 1901 1900

1890s 1899 1898 1896 1895 1894 1893 1892 1891 1890

1880s 1889 1888 1886 1885 1880

1870s 1878 1870

1860s 1860

1850s 1850

Sources

Perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center’s Interagency Fire Perimeter History, compiled from the Forest Service, BLM, BIA, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, the Alaska Interagency Fire Center and CAL FIRE. Records before 2014 were joined by this site: a fire report to the burned area its MTBS identifier names, a perimeter to the burned area it lies in when the names or the sizes agree.