Wildfires at a Glance
A quick overview of the damage caused by wildfires in the United States
Wildfires have a growing cost. Let's get to the bottom of it.
The wildfire threat is increasing.
Over the past several decades, wildfire activity, damages attributed to wildfires, and costs of managing wildfires have increased substantially in the United States.
Over 68,000 fires burned approximately 7.6 million acres in the United States in 2024.
The annual area burned in fires increased by nearly 60 percent from 1990 to 2024.
Three of the top five years for burned acreage in the United States since 1960 have occurred since 2015.
More than 16,000 structures were destroyed in the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, more than 3 times the amount destroyed in all of 2024.
What's behind this increase in the frequency and damage of wildfires?
Climate Change
Climate Change has caused fire seasons around the world to grow longer, especially in the Western United States.
More Fuels
There is more fuel for fires—including shrubs, small trees, and grasses—due to aggressive fire suppression stopping small fires from clearing out undergrowth.
More Firestarters
Humans are starting more fires intentionally and unintentionally through sparks from power lines, improperly contained campfires, arson, and more.
More of Us in the Way
More people and homes are in harms way. The number of homes coexisting with forests and other wild vegetation increased by 41 percent rom 1990 to 2010.
Wildfires are also harmful to human safety.
Wildfires cause human fatalities directly when people are unable to escape a blaze and when firefighters are killed while containing a fire.
Wildfire smoke causes 25–50 percent of Americans’ total exposure to harmful fine particulate matter known as PM2.5.
This exposure is estimated to kill approximately 500 elderly people in the United States each year, on average.
Recent research also suggests that wildfires significantly increase the risk for mental health disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.
