Wildfires

Wildfires of 1961

The Interagency Fire Perimeter History holds 403 mapped wildfires from 1961, covering 536,138 acres. 81 fires reached 1,000 acres or more in at least one record; the largest was the Big Antelope Fire in California, at 46,931 acres. For 1961 the record is what forests, parks and agencies mapped and kept, not every fire that burned.

Fires of 1,000 acres or more
81
Perimeters on file
403

1960 1962

Map

Every fire of 1961 with a page here, sized by the acres burned. Select one for its perimeter and record.

Largest fires81

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
Big Antelope FireCA46,931
Harlow FireCA43,331
Rancheria FireCA34,104
Bollinger Ridge FireCA32,866
Ditch Creek FireOR27,269
Unnamed FireCA19,430
Corn Creek FireID13,512
Lightning #20 FireCA13,003
Kelsey Mill FireCA11,816
Soap Butte FireCA10,633
Devils Garden FireOR10,011
Willow Pass FireNV9,687
Unnamed FireCA9,206
Austrian Gulch FireCA9,071
Unnamed FireCA7,847
Logan FireCA6,707
Unnamed FireID6,603
Stock Driveway FireID6,435
Bel Air FireCA6,152
Unnamed FireCA6,111
Roadside #44 FireCA5,968
Unnamed FireID5,937
Weeks FireAZ5,745
Unnamed FireID5,453
Outside Origin #2 FireCA5,019
White Deer FireCA4,967
Unnamed FireID4,795
Unnamed FireID4,540
Cat Creek FireID4,494
Mt. Konocti Series FireCA4,000
Horseshoe Lake FireID3,954
Roadside #1 FireCA3,621
Unnamed FireCA3,507
Capehart FireCA3,303
Unnamed FireID3,113
Mile FireCA3,074
Clark Branch FireOR2,714
Fagan FireAZ2,562
Unnamed FireID2,444
Donlon & Fletcher FireCA2,427
Friis FireCA2,280
Robertson FireCA2,208
Rincon FireAZ2,164
Meridian Cr FireID2,149
Unnamed FireCA2,120
Dry Fork FireID2,048
Farmer's Canal FireID2,023
Unnamed FireID2,018
Sage Cr Ridge FireID1,889
M. Watson FireCA1,832
Peterson Estate FireCA1,807
Branch Homestead FireID1,716
4 Mile FireID1,703
Pollic FireCA1,703
Pope Valley Series FireCA1,702
Unnamed FireID1,668
Unnamed FireCA1,663
Wildcat FireCA1,605
Brushey Cr FireID1,599
Unnamed FireCA1,567
Surdam FireID1,523
C.p. Mine FireCA1,472
Boland Rdg FireSD1,459
Brown's Flat FireCA1,337
Unnamed FireCA1,336
Unnamed FireID1,331
Fly Creek Ranch FireOR1,302
Brown's Valley #2 FireCA1,253
Lyles #2 FireCA1,250
State Park #2 FireCA1,241
Canard FireID1,227
Unnamed FireID1,219
Never Creek FireID1,195
Taylor Creek FireID1,185
Roadside #4 FireCA1,171
Surprise FireID1,149
Frozen Dog FireID1,098
Ashpile FireID1,088
Long Bar Rd. #1 FireCA1,064
Duct FireCA1,039
Unnamed FireID1,037

Prescribed fires2

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

FireStateAcresStartCause
Bigelow Prescribed FireCA2,827
Martin Prescribed FireCA2,409

By state

StateFires of 1,000+ acresTheir acres
California42322,742
Idaho3090,144
Oregon441,296
Arizona310,470
Nevada19,687
South Dakota11,459

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.