Wildland Fires are becoming more frequent with higher destruction rates relative to land and property. Many of the most destructive fires in terms of financial loss have occurred since 2017. Here are some statistics with references published on BankRate.com:
- 4.5 million U.S. homes are at high or extreme risk from wildfires, with over 2 million in California alone. (Verisk)
- There were 66,255 wildfires in 2022, which affected 7.5 million acres, compared to just 18,229 wildfires and 1,323,666 acres lost in 1983 when official record-keeping began. (NCEI)
- There was a 17 percent increase from 2019 to 2021 in U.S. wildfires and a 223 percent increase since 1983. (NFIC)
- Humans cause as many as 85 percent of wildfires, with the remaining 15 percent caused by lava and lightning. (U.S. Department of Interior)
- Wildfires, drought, and heatwaves accounted for $20.36 billion in economic losses and $8.69 billion in insurance losses in 2021. (Insurance Information Institute – Triple-I)
- To date in 2023, there have been 17,292 wildfires with over 498,820 acres burned. (NFIC)
How can I determine my Wildland Fire Risk?
ESRI’s Living Atlas has an abundance of data layers that can help you determine your personal and community Wildland Fire Risk, and there are already-existing GIS resources from ESRI and two of the most authoritative organizations in Wildland Fire Risk: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC).
Eric Pimpler
President/Owner
Geospatial Training Services
215 W Bandera #114-104
Boerne, TX 78006
Twitter - @gistraining
210-260-4992