Climate
🔥 Californian & Alaskan Fires Accounted for 25% of Wildfire Area Burned in 2023
![🔥 Californian & Alaskan Fires Accounted for 25% of Wildfire Area Burned in 2023](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.voronoiapp.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fvoronoi--Californian--Alaskan-Fires-Accounted-for-25-of-Wildfire-Area-Burned-in-2023-20240604105527.webp&w=3840&q=75)
What We’re Showing
A chart representing the total area burned by wildfires in 2023, by state, based on figures from the National Interagency Coordination Center.
Key Takeaways
- Wildfires in California and Alaska were responsible for one-fourth of all land burned in 2023
- Per the New York Times, climate change is leading to longer, hotter, and drier summers in western states, increasing the intensity of wildfires, and related damage
- In contrast, Delaware saw 0 acres burned by wildfire in 2023
- As it happens, 2023 was a record year in the country—the lowest area burned since 1998, thanks to an unusually wet summer
Dataset
State | Acres Burned 2023 | % Of All Area Burned 2023 |
---|---|---|
California | 332,722 | 12% |
Alaska | 314,276 | 12% |
New Mexico | 212,378 | 8% |
Texas | 210,264 | 8% |
Oregon | 202,035 | 7% |
Arizona | 188,483 | 7% |
Nebraska | 180,733 | 7% |
Oklahoma | 162,489 | 6% |
Washington | 151,316 | 6% |
Montana | 123,133 | 5% |
Florida | 99,642 | 4% |
Idaho | 87,801 | 3% |
North Carolina | 73,953 | 3% |
Mississippi | 52,508 | 2% |
West Virginia | 45,679 | 2% |
Colorado | 41,917 | 2% |
Others | 214,574 | 8% |
Total | 2,693,910 | N/A |
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