Wildfire history
Randy Mann.
JAKE PARRISH/Press
Wildfires continue to rage across the country as over 8.3 million acres have burned since the beginning of 2026. This is nearly double last year’s figure at this time, and the highest within the last 10 years. Changes in extreme temperatures, humidity, winds and reductions in rainfall have helped fuel major fires in western U.S.
Historically, during the 1800s, organized wildfire fighting was limited in the U.S. Farmers, settlers, loggers, and local communities generally fought fires with simple hand tools, buckets, shovels, and improvised firebreaks. There was no nationwide system for detecting or responding to wildfires. As settlements expanded, logging and development altered many forests.
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