The Worst Years for Man-Made Wildfires in the US

According to data from the National Interagency Fire Center, there were over 1.6 million wildfires nationwide between 2001 and 2024 – and nearly 87% of them were human-caused. While most wildfire disasters are manmade, fires ignited by natural causes tend to be the most destructive. Lightning strikes account for only about 13% of all wildfires in the last 24 years. But these same fires burned an estimated 96 million acres – or 57% of all land area damaged by wildfires since 2001.

Man-made wildfires often start from discarded cigarette butts, campfires, or downed powerlines in dry areas. With months remaining in the 2025 wildfire season, the NIFC recently issued a warning that sparks and hot bullet fragments from target shooting can ignite dry grass and brush, potentially posing wildfire risks. When proper precautions are taken – including fully extinguishing campfires and discarded cigarettes, and target shooting in areas free of flammable materials – human-caused wildfires are largely preventable. Yet, man-made wildfire disasters have been ubiquitous in recent years, consuming some 72.3 million acres between 2001 and 2024.

Using data from the NIFC, Climate Crisis 247 identified the worst years for human-caused wildfires so far in the 21st century. We reviewed annual wildfire data from 2001 through 2024 ranked each year on the total number acres burned by man-made wildfires. All supplemental data is also from the NIFC.

Depending on the year, anywhere from 964,800 to 8.3 million acres have been consumed annually by man-made, largely preventable, wildfires in the United States since 2001.

10. 2022

• Land area burned by human-caused wildfires: 3.4 million acres (44.5% of all wildfire damage)
• Number of human-caused wildfires: 61,429 (89.2% of all wildfires)
• All wildfires in 2022: 68,896 wildfires, 7.6 million acres burned

9. 2008

• Land area burned by human-caused wildfires: 3.4 million acres (64.8% of all wildfire damage)
• Number of human-caused wildfires: 70,093 (88.8% of all wildfires)
• All wildfires in 2008: 78,949 wildfires, 5.3 million acres burned

8. 2007

• Land area burned by human-caused wildfires: 3.4 million acres (37.0% of all wildfire damage)
• Number of human-caused wildfires: 73,446 (85.7% of all wildfires)
• All wildfires in 2007: 85,707 wildfires, 9.3 million acres burned

7. 2016

• Land area burned by human-caused wildfires: 3.8 million acres (68.4% of all wildfire damage)
• Number of human-caused wildfires: 60,932 (90.0% of all wildfires)
• All wildfires in 2016: 67,722 wildfires, 5.5 million acres burned

6. 2006

• Land area burned by human-caused wildfires: 4.4 million acres (44.6% of all wildfire damage)
• Number of human-caused wildfires: 80,220 (83.2% of all wildfires)
• All wildfires in 2006: 96,385 wildfires, 9.9 million acres burned

5. 2024

• Land area burned by human-caused wildfires: 4.7 million acres (52.3% of all wildfire damage)
• Number of human-caused wildfires: 57,962 (89.3% of all wildfires)
• All wildfires in 2024: 64,897 wildfires, 8.9 million acres burned

4. 2017

• Land area burned by human-caused wildfires: 4.8 million acres (48.2% of all wildfire damage)
• Number of human-caused wildfires: 63,546 (88.9% of all wildfires)
• All wildfires in 2017: 71,499 wildfires, 10.0 million acres burned

3. 2011

• Land area burned by human-caused wildfires: 5.6 million acres (64.1% of all wildfire damage)
• Number of human-caused wildfires: 51,576 (88.8% of all wildfires)
• All wildfires in 2018: 58,083 wildfires, 8.7 million acres burned

2. 2018

• Land area burned by human-caused wildfires: 5.6 million acres (64.1% of all wildfire damage)
• Number of human-caused wildfires: 51,576 (88.8% of all wildfires)
• All wildfires in 2018: 58,083 wildfires, 8.7 million acres burned

1. 2020

• Land area burned by human-caused wildfires: 8.3 million acres (66.9% of all wildfire damage)
• Number of human-caused wildfires: 53,563 (90.9% of all wildfires)
• All wildfires in 2020: 58,950 wildfires, 12.4 million acres burned