Wildfires

Wildfires of 1951

The Interagency Fire Perimeter History holds 290 mapped wildfires from 1951, covering 734,639 acres. 85 fires reached 1,000 acres or more in at least one record; the largest was the Toklat Fire in Alaska, at 96,317 acres. For 1951 the record is what forests, parks and agencies mapped and kept, not every fire that burned.

Fires of 1,000 acres or more
85
Perimeters on file
290

1950 1952

Map

Every fire of 1951 with a page here, sized by the acres burned. Select one for its perimeter and record.

Largest fires85

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
Toklat FireAK96,317
22 Mile Village FireAK53,482
Mcknight FireNM48,052
Birch Creek FireAK38,787
Forks FireWA32,698
Middle Fork Kuskokwim FireAK30,062
Mears FireCA29,523
Big Delta FireAK23,179
Milk Ranch FireCA21,979
Christian River FireAK18,997
Bethel FireCA18,254
Muddy River FireAK17,937
Hubbard Creek II FireOR15,144
Gaston FireCA14,205
Allen Canyon FireNM12,761
Three Devils FireCA10,487
Cherry FireCA8,782
Unnamed FireCA8,289
Sycamore FireCA7,387
Kent Canyon FireCA6,754
Boardman Ridge FireCA6,676
Big River Fire No. 2 FireAK6,654
Richard A. Kant FireCA6,202
Trailer Draw FireCO5,955
Allen Flat FireCA5,363
Buckman FireCA5,240
Pony Peak FireCA4,883
Howes Camp FireCA4,845
Smiths Ridge FireCA4,417
Railroad #10 FireCA4,254
Merced #7 FireCA4,253
La Gloria FireCA4,229
Unnamed FireCA4,179
Melozitna River FireAK3,925
Little Bear FireCA3,852
Camp Creek FireOR3,632
Mary Bowcher FireCA3,447
Pacific Lumber Co. #5 FireCA3,425
Lems Summit FireCA3,369
Rancho Sierra Vista FireCA3,288
Unnamed FireNV3,215
Three Creeks FireCA3,094
Preacher Creek FireAK2,877
Pinnacle FireWA2,688
Burson FireCA2,628
Wm. Happy FireCA2,592
Susana Knolls FireCA2,348
Murphy FireCA2,341
Badger Road FireAK1,936
Dickinson Mtn FireOR1,864
Blackbird Mine FireID1,845
Norton FireCA1,841
Willow Creek FireCA1,830
Mowitz FireCA1,714
Scott Creek FireCA1,704
Burnt Ridge Fire #11 FireID1,669
Espinosa Canyon #2 FireCA1,624
Whispering Pine FireCA1,612
Mcclellan FireCA1,504
Unnamed FireCA1,499
G. Chatham FireCA1,458
Pigeon Gulch FireCA1,426
Unnamed FireCA1,412
Board FireCA1,402
Camp Nine FireCA1,400
Summit FireCA1,387
Oakhurst FireCA1,366
West Height FireCA1,330
Rattlesnake Creek FireOR1,324
Piru FireCA1,303
Unnamed FireID1,291
Will Gill & Son FireCA1,280
Unnamed FireCA1,227
Lang FireCA1,202
R.haswell FireCA1,196
G.l. Speier FireCA1,190
Wragg Canyon FireCA1,178
Raglin Ridge FireCA1,133
Belle FireAZ1,128
Williams FireCA1,105
Dry Creek FireCA1,078
Wizwell FireCA1,050
Read FireAK1,046
Camulos FireCA1,024
Unnamed FireCA1,009

Prescribed fires12

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

FireStateAcresStartCause
Jones Control BurnCA7,974
Shilling Coop Prescribed FireCA4,306
Ryan Prescribed FireCA4,198
Bohmenberger Prescribed FireCA4,112
Biglow-Demellow Prescribed FireCA4,018
Guadalupe Coop Prescribed FireCA3,546
Bissett Prescribed FireCA2,487
Coulterville Coop Prescribed FireCA2,365
Ecker Prescribed FireCA2,185
Haigh-Turpin #4 Prescribed FireCA2,116
Stivers Prescribed FireCA1,577
Buchenau Prescribed FireCA1,431

By state

StateFires of 1,000+ acresTheir acres
Alaska12295,197
California59250,065
New Mexico260,813
Washington235,386
Oregon421,964
Colorado15,955
Idaho34,805
Nevada13,215
Arizona11,128

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.