Wildfires of 1972
The Interagency Fire Perimeter History holds 559 mapped wildfires from 1972, covering 1,278,204 acres. 136 fires reached 1,000 acres or more in at least one record; the largest was the Bridge Fire in Alaska, at 239,326 acres. For 1972 the record is what forests, parks and agencies mapped and kept, not every fire that burned.
- Fires of 1,000 acres or more
- 136
- Perimeters on file
- 559
Map
Every fire of 1972 with a page here, sized by the acres burned. Select one for its perimeter and record.
Largest fires136
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.
Prescribed fires1
Planned burns of 1,000 acres or more that MTBS or the perimeter history recorded.
| Fire | State | Acres | Start | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trabucco #2 Prescribed Fire | CA | 1,565 |
By state
| State | Fires of 1,000+ acres | Their acres |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 86 | 930,542 |
| Nebraska | 1 | 100,340 |
| California | 20 | 65,705 |
| Idaho | 19 | 61,638 |
| Arizona | 1 | 31,802 |
| Nevada | 3 | 6,711 |
| New Mexico | 2 | 3,888 |
| Utah | 2 | 3,056 |
| Oregon | 1 | 2,418 |
| Colorado | 1 | 2,349 |
By year
2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014
Before 2014, back to 1850
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
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.