Wildfires

Wildfires of 1936

The Interagency Fire Perimeter History holds 651 mapped wildfires from 1936, covering 504,706 acres. 87 fires reached 1,000 acres or more in at least one record; the largest was the China Gulch Fire in California, at 53,541 acres. For 1936 the record is what forests, parks and agencies mapped and kept, not every fire that burned.

Fires of 1,000 acres or more
87
Perimeters on file
651

1935 1937

Map

Every fire of 1936 with a page here, sized by the acres burned. Select one for its perimeter and record.

Largest fires87

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
China Gulch FireCA53,541
Unnamed FireCA30,586
Cornell FireCA22,050
Mckenzie Mill FireCA21,288
A-Line FireCA17,531
Unnamed FireCA10,674
Unnamed FireOR10,564
Unnamed FireOR8,600
Heaven's Peak 1936 FireMT8,363
Sundance FireSD7,763
Unnamed FireOR7,597
Moskee FireSD7,174
Unnamed FireOR6,294
Unnamed FireOR5,543
Unnamed FireCA4,925
Unnamed FireOR4,838
Unnamed FireCA4,704
Black Canyon FireID4,487
Unnamed FireOR4,355
Unnamed FireOR4,309
Frost Lake FireMN4,047
Cherokee Lake FireMN3,972
Unnamed FireOR3,771
Unnamed FireOR3,674
Unnamed FireOR3,549
Unnamed FireOR3,500
Hoopa FireCA3,142
Unnamed FireMT3,124
Unnamed FireOR3,017
Unnamed FireOR2,861
Unnamed FireOR2,790
Unnamed FireOR2,759
Unnamed FireOR2,722
Cold Creek No. 35 FireCA2,643
Unnamed FireOR2,453
Unnamed FireOR2,437
Unnamed FireOR2,434
Oak Flat FireCA2,325
Unnamed FireOR2,306
Unnamed FireOR2,291
Unnamed FireOR2,273
Lodge Grass Cr FireWY2,133
Unnamed FireOR2,037
Pearce FireCA2,015
Unnamed FireCA1,970
Unnamed FireCA1,953
Unnamed FireCA1,800
Unnamed FireOR1,769
Unnamed FireOR1,746
Unnamed FireCA1,701
Unnamed FireOR1,689
Lampley FireCA1,626
Unnamed FireOR1,618
Unnamed FireOR1,565
Unnamed FireOR1,544
Unnamed FireOR1,494
Unnamed FireCA1,480
Unnamed FireOR1,478
Clearwater No. 16 FireCA1,453
Unnamed FireOR1,432
Unnamed FireOR1,416
Unnamed FireCA1,412
Canadian Outbreak FireMN1,408
Unnamed FireCA1,376
Unnamed FireOR1,373
Unnamed FireOR1,371
Unnamed FireOR1,369
Unnamed FireCA1,347
Unnamed FireOR1,323
Unnamed FireOR1,288
Unnamed FireOR1,287
Hog Lake FireMN1,282
Unnamed FireCA1,242
Unnamed FireOR1,230
Unnamed FireOR1,216
Unnamed FireOR1,210
Mckenzie FireCA1,209
Battle Creek FireSD1,142
Unnamed FireOR1,121
Unnamed FireOR1,099
Unnamed FireOR1,097
Unnamed FireOR1,060
Unnamed FireOR1,040
Boosey FireCA1,032
Unnamed FireOR1,022
Unnamed FireOR1,017
Unnamed FireOR1,001

By state

StateFires of 1,000+ acresTheir acres
California25195,021
Oregon51132,848
South Dakota316,078
Montana211,487
Minnesota410,708
Idaho14,487
Wyoming12,133

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.