“This [2021] fire season is going to be worse than last year,” the vice president said.
Source: Harris drops by her local fire station on 4th of July – Axios
Actual
- 7,125,643 acres burned in 2021 (Source NIFC)
- 6 of the prior ten years burned more acreage than in 2021.
- 11 of the prior ten years burned more acreage
Prior post on this topic, with an additional chart – from last fall before the 2021 fire season had ended.
U.S. Wildfires by Year
| Year | Number of Fires | Number of Acres Affected |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 58,950 | 10,122,336 |
| 2019 | 50,477 | 4,664,364 |
| 2018 | 58,083 | 8,767,492 |
| 2017 | 71,499 | 10,026,086 |
| 2016 | 67,743 | 5,509,995 |
| 2015 | 68,151 | 10,125,149 |
| 2014 | 63,312 | 3,595,613 |
| 2013 | 47,579 | 4,319,546 |
| 2012 | 67,774 | 9,326,238 |
| 2011 | 74,126 | 8,711,367 |
| 2010 | 71,971 | 3,422,724 |
| 2009 | 78,792 | 5,921,786 |
| 2008 | 78,979 | 5,292,468 |
| 2007 | 85,705 | 9,328,045 |
| 2006 | 96,385 | 9,873,745 |
| 2005 | 66,753 | 8,689,389 |
| 2004 | 65,461 | 8,097,880* |
| 2003 | 63,629 | 3,960,842 |
| 2002 | 73,457 | 7,184,712 |
| 2001 | 84,079 | 3,570,911 |
| 2000 | 92,250 | 7,393,493 |
| 1999 | 92,487 | 5,626,093 |
| 1998 | 81,043 | 1,329,704 |
| 1997 | 66,196 | 2,856,959 |
| 1996 | 96,363 | 6,065,998 |
| 1995 | 82,234 | 1,840,546 |
| 1994 | 79,107 | 4,073,579 |
| 1993 | 58,810 | 1,797,574 |
| 1992 | 87,394 | 2,069,929 |
| 1991 | 75,754 | 2,953,578 |
| 1990 | 66,481 | 4,621,621 |
| 1989 | 48,949 | 1,827,310 |
| 1988 | 72,750 | 5,009,290 |
| 1987 | 71,300 | 2,447,296 |
| 1986 | 85,907 | 2,719,162 |
| 1985 | 82,591 | 2,896,147 |
| 1984 | 20,493 | 1,148,409 |
| 1983 | 18,229 | 1,323,666 |
Recently, the NIFC deleted all fire acreage for years before 1983 saying they could not confirm the accuracy of the data and they believed that in some years, intentionally set land clearing and agricultural burns were included in the data. Many suggested that prior data was inconvenient for the “wildfires getting worse” meme so all of it was deleted.
Particularly since the NIFC deleted all data prior to the lowest point on the curve, so that we only see an upwards curve since then. Picking starting and ending data points can change the perception delivered by a chart.
