2024 North American Wildfires

Though we would like to, we cannot share information on every fire across the continent. Below, you will find some general information about the outlook and most significant fires of 2024 in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Other countries in North America are included as relevant to funders. We typically focus our coverage on fires that significantly impact the surrounding areas and environment and affect residents, especially at-risk populations.

The National Preparedness Level – set by the National Interagency Coordination Center and the National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group – is currently at Level 3, which means: “Significant wildland fire or non-fire activity is occurring in multiple geographic areas, mobilization of resources through NICC is moderate to heavy, and the potential for emerging significant wildland fires is normal for the time of year.

The National Interagency Fire Center statistics show that as of July 6, 22,670 fires this year have burned over 2.7 million acres.

In the U.S., the National Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook, the National Interagency Fire Center’s monthly report, details weather, drought conditions, past incidents and potential risk.

In recent months, there was increased fire activity in the western part of the U.S. while fire activity continued at low levels in Florida and Texas.  The year-to-date annual acres burned is at 183% of the 10-year average. Precipitation was above normal across California, Montana, Texas, Tennessee and Georgia.

The outlook shows above-normal significant wildfire potential in Midwest and Southwest regions between June to September. Drought coverage has decreased with less than 13% of the U.S. covered by drought.

Two devastating wildfires in southern New Mexico began on June 18 and continued to wreak havoc, having destroyed over 1,400 structures, scorched more than 20,000 acres, and forced the evacuation of thousands of residents, including the entire village of Ruidoso. Ruidoso, a popular tourist destination with around 7,000 residents, saw apocalyptic scenes on June 17 – smoke-darkened skies, raining embers and visible flames as evacuation orders abruptly came through with little notice. Traffic jammed downtown streets as residents hastily fled with few belongings.

South Fork Fire: A wildfire ignited on Monday, June 17 in the Mescalero Apache tribal region and rapidly spread beyond tribal land, destroying 1,400 structures and engulfing approximately 17,500 acres by the evening of June 18. As of July 1, the fire is 84% contained.

Salt Fire: Nearly 8,000 acres of the Mescalero Apache Tribe’s land was consumed. As of July 1, the fire is 84% contained.

You can support CDP’s response to wildfires in New Mexico by donating to our Disaster Recovery Fund.

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Smokehouse Creek Fire: A wildfire in Texas became the biggest fire ever in the state and the second-largest wildfire in U.S. history on Feb. 26. The fire burned more than 1.06 million acres in Texas and nearly 70,000 acres in Oklahoma. After burning for nearly three weeks, destroying farms and ranches, the Smokehouse Creek Fire was completely contained on March 16.

Disaster declarations were issued by Governor Greg Abbott for 60 counties in response to the Smokehouse Creek Fire and three other fires. More than 100 miles of power lines will need to be rebuilt. Approximately 30,000 people are located within the perimeter of the fire.

The Smokehouse Creek Fire grew from 300,000 acres on Feb. 27, to 850,000 on Feb. 28 and then jumped to more than a million acres on Feb. 29. The growth of the fire slowed tremendously in March after rainfall and as firefighters gained more control over the perimeter.

More than 500 structures, including homes, barns, outbuildings, and businesses were destroyed, and while the full extent of the damage is still unknown, estimates show that more than 10,000 head of cattle died. Many family farmers and ranchers have lost everything.

Two women were killed on Feb. 27. An 83-year-old grandmother died at her home in Stinnett, and a 44-year-old woman died after flames surrounded her vehicle while driving from Oklahoma to Amarillo.

Windy Deuce Fire: In the town of Fritch, the mayor estimated that at least 50 homes have been destroyed by the Windy Deuce Fire in the southern part of the community. Damage may be higher.

Home to slightly more than 2,100 people, the north side of Fritch burned in a wildfire in 2014.

The Windy Deuce Fire burned 144,045 acres, with 100% containment as of March 18. At least 195 personnel were assigned to the fire.

Grapevine Fire: This grass and brush fire started nine miles east of Lefors. It burned just under 35,000 acres and was contained on March 10.

You can support CDP’s response to wildfires in Texas by donating to our Disaster Recovery Fund.

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Several recent fires burned across Oklahoma, including the Smokehouse Creek Fire, which is listed in the Texas section below.

The state Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was activated on Feb. 26 due to wildfires, high winds and high fire risk.

Oklahoma Forestry Services said that between the end of February and early March, there were seven wildfires that burned around 152,294 acres. All evacuations were canceled.

Fires led to losses of several structures and livestock. The EOC said that there were 19 homes damaged or destroyed, including 12 in Ellis County. Of the other seven homes, two in Beaver County and two in Texas County were uninhabited.

Catesby Fire: The Catesby Fire in Ellis County received a Fire Management Assistant Grant (FMAG) from FEMA to cover response costs and fire equipment. It burned 90,699 acres and was fully contained as of March 17.

Slapout Fire: The Slapout Fire in Beaver County burned 26,048 acres and was 100% contained as of March 8. Three residences were destroyed.

The E1980 Rd Fire: The E1980 Rd Fire in Choctaw County burned 5,545 acres and was fully contained as of March 4.

You can support CDP’s response to wildfires in Oklahoma by donating to our Disaster Recovery Fund.

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Editor’s note: In California, we usually focus on fires that exceed 50,000 acres.

Thus far, in 2024, California has experienced 3,311 wildfires, with over 150,000 acres burned.

There have been zero fatalities (firefighter or civilian) and 113 structures damaged or destroyed as of July 6, 2024.

You can support CDP’s response to wildfires in the state by donating to our California Wildfires Recovery Fund.

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Devastating wildfires burned in Hawaii (Hawaiian: Hawai’i) the week of Aug. 6, 2023. The largest of these fires – the Lahaina fire on Maui – was the worst natural hazard disaster in Hawaii’s history, the fifth-deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in recorded history and the first fire since 1918 to reach 100 deaths. The unique nature of the fires – a combination of drought, lightning and Hurricane Dora – was highlighted in this Reuters interactive story.

For more information about the 2023 Lahaina wildfires, please see the 2023 North American Wildfires disaster profile.

On May 3, Hawaii’s Governor Josh Green issued his eleventh emergency proclamation for the August 2023 wildfires until at least July 2, 2024. This emergency proclamation continues to:

• “Enhance housing opportunities for displaced Maui residents by allowing condominium owners and associations to house displaced residents in excess of time limits in governing documents.
• Encourage hotels, motels, and condominiums to make units available for the housing of those displaced by the wildfires by exempting such housing agreements from landlord-tenant statutes unless specified in a tenancy agreement.
• Ease the burden of wildfire survivors who need to obtain records and evidence of identity, property, and individual rights from the State Archives Division, by waiving fees for copying, certifying, and other services.”

The proclamation provides an exception from the price freeze for rentals for affordable housing projects that are subject to regulatory agreements relating to rent increases. Such projects are now allowed to increase rents in line with their regulatory agreements.

Similarly, effective May 2, 2024, Xavier Becerra, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, renewed his declaration of a public health emergency for Hawaii, originally issued on Aug. 11, 2023 and renewed on Nov. 6, 2023 and Feb. 4, 2024. This declaration allows Becerra and his administration to “Take appropriate actions in response to the emergency consistent with other authorities, including: making grants; entering into contracts; and conducting and supporting investigations into the cause, treatment, or prevention of the disease or disorder.”

Eight months after the wildfires, about 2,650 people are still in hotels, costing up to $1,175 per night. Another 400 reside in short-term housing units, which the state rents for as much as $11,000 monthly.

Governor Josh Green hopes to have residents vacate temporary hotels by July 1. In February, FEMA secured almost 1,500 units for long-term housing and is currently in the process of building 169 temporary housing units. The state is also building 450 temporary housing units, 60% of which will be ready by July and August. Despite progress in securing housing units, survivors of the 2023 fire have turned down offers due to the location and strict governmental rules. Around 600 rentals remain empty.

In February 2024, the Hawaii Small Business Development Center said that only about 50% of the 1,200 small businesses in Lahaina had resumed operations. Tourism is expected to decrease 5% across the state (an impact of $1 billion), but almost all that loss is on Maui.

You can support wildfire recovery by donating to our Hawaii Wildfires Recovery Fund.

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In February, authorities dealt with several fires leading to a state of emergency declaration by Governor Laura Kelly.

Kansas is not usually seen as a top wildfire state, but Wildfires Today magazine reported that “the state experiences at least 5,000 wildfires annually, which ranks it among the top five states for number of wildfire incidents in the country among the likes of Texas, Oregon, and Montana. Kansas is also a top prescribed burning state in acreage, with well over one million acres burned yearly, according to the Coalition of Prescribed Fire Councils.”

However, about 30% of wildfires go unreported, mostly because, unlike many states, fighting fires remains a local responsibility. A key reason for this is the lack of federal lands (less than 0.5%) and home rule status.

The state has not provided an update on previous fires, but the fire weather outlook has moved most of the state into low and moderate risk until March 11.

The Betty’s Way Fire was started by a lawnmower on Monday, Feb. 26, and burned almost 70,000 acres in west-central Nebraska. By Feb. 29, it had reached 98% containment. The fire destroyed four primary residences along with countless outbuildings and agricultural infrastructures.

Two homes and several outbuildings have been destroyed by the fire, which burned in Lincoln, Dawson and Custer counties.

Multiple wildfires ignited during high winds on March 20 and burned across Virginia and West Virginia, particularly in the Shenandoah Valley. Five wildfires, three in Virginia and two in West Virginia, known as the North Zone Complex, collectively burned 15,977 total acres.

The biggest of the five burned 6,399 acres in Shenandoah and Page Counties. Initial reports of damages found at least 10 homes destroyed in Page County and four others damaged.

The U.S. Forest Service released its final fire update on April 3, finding all fires to be 100% contained.

On March 20, the Waites Run Fire and Cove Mountain Fire started in West Virginia and were part of the North Zone Complex with three other wildfires in Virginia. The two wildfires collectively burned over 6,300 acres of land until U.S. Forest Services confirmed that they had been 100% contained on April 3.

On March 22, the National Guard sent two helicopters and dropped nearly 95,000 gallons of water in particularly dry, rough and dangerous terrain.

No casualties or injuries were reported.

The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) coordinates resource sharing, mutual aid and information sharing including, facilitation of wildfire cooperation and coordination.

The current National Preparedness Level is set to Level 2, meaning: “Wildland fire activity is increasing within one or more jurisdictions. The demand for mobilization of firefighters and equipment from other jurisdictions is light. CIFFC’s National Situation Report is published weekly between May and August and provides information on fire activity from the previous calendar day, including seasonal cumulative.

In 2023, there were a total of 6,551 fires, which burned 45.7 million acres of land. By comparison, in 2022, there were 4,883 wildfires which scorched 3.6 million acres. This means nearly 13 times more land was destroyed in 2023 compared to 2022.

According to the June 14, 2024 North American Fire Outlook, wildfire projections in Canada show above-average temperatures in July and August, although they have received enough precipitation to keep fire activity low. The Canadian Wildland Fire Information System indicates above-average fire activity for much of British Columbia and northwest Manitoba.

British Columbia has 86 active fires as of June 30, 2024, many of which are still burning from last year. Eleven of those fires are out of control. Since April 2023, BC has experienced 2,389 fires. The “fire year” restarted on April 1, 2024. There have been 290 wildfires burning a total of 392,000 hectares (970,000 acres) in the new fire year.

The largest-ever fire in British Columbia, the Donnie Creek Blaze, burned an area larger than Prince Edward Island. The fire burned on the traditional territory of the Blueberry River, Prophet River and Doig River First Nations and destroyed traplines, important ceremonial landmarks, massive amounts of timber, blueberries and other berries, and habitat for deer, bison and moose. This caused significant disruptions to Indigenous communities and the lumber and milling industries. The fire burned over 1.53 million acres and, as of July 1, 2024, is still burning. The wildfire reignited in early May and is out of control, burning just under 9,000 acres.

In Alberta, there are 30 active fires, including carry-over fires. There are 26 fires burning that started in 2024 as of July 1. 16 fires are under control, 10 are being held and 4 are out of control.

In the “Wildfires of Note” from the Government of Alberta, there were no wildfires of note, meaning a wildfire that is highly visible or poses a potential threat to public safety, as of June 30, 2024, the last time this document was updated.

In Canada’s far north, the NWT has reported a total of 55 fires in 2024 with 29 active fires and 22 fires out of control, as of July 1.

NWT has a population of only 45,000 people. Two-thirds of this northern, near-Arctic territory was displaced by wildfires at least once during the summer of 2023, including the territory’s capital city, Yellowknife, home to 20,000 people.

The province reported 199 fires burning 16,080 hectares (39,730 acres) in 2024, well below the 10-year average of 295 fires and 115,060 hectares (284,320 acres) burned.

Similarly, Quebec experienced 713 total fires in 2023 (566 in the Intensive Zone and 147 in the Nordic Zone) compared to the 10-year average number of annual fires of 439.

Quebec experienced a record-breaking forest fire in 2023. More than 11 million acres burned, compared to the 10-year average of 39,051 acres. This represents almost one-quarter of the country’s land lost.

Fire season in Mexico is generally in February and peaks mid-March through May.

According to the June 14, 2024, North American Fire Outlook, above-normal precipitation decreased drought indices and drought-affected areas.

As of June 28, Mexico has recorded 6,771 fires, burning over 860,000 hectares (2.1 million acres). Fire activity is fueled by dry conditions and high temperatures, which are exacerbated by the El Niño phenomenon.

Previously on March 27, four people were reported dead following a wave of wildfires, burning more than 32,000 acres. More than 6,000 forest firefighters were deployed. However, a shortage of firefighters in some areas caused locals to fight the fire themselves, and they were met with fire-friendly conditions such as strong winds.

The fires come at a time when approximately 60% of Mexico is experiencing extreme heat leading to exceptional drought and 21 million residents of Mexico City are battling a water crisis.