2023 U.S. wildfire statistics
Between 2022 and 2023, wildfires accounted for over $3.2 billion in damage across the United States. Areas in the west, like California, Nevada and Arizona, with long stretches of arid climate and little rain, are especially susceptible to wildfires. They can be devastating, growing quickly, taking out homes and entire communities and racking up billions of dollars in damage. Urban sprawl and climate change are two factors that increase the likelihood and frequency of wildfires across the country. Having the right homeowners insurance in place can be key to helping consumers offset the cost of wildfire damage. Here, we examine the most recent statistics and data for U.S. wildfires, including how to file a claim if your home is damaged by smoke or fire.
Key takeaways
A wildfire is an uncontrolled, unpredictable and unplanned burn in an area of naturally ignitable vegetation. While prairies, forests and grasslands are standard wildfire zones, suburban areas backing up to wildlife are frequently impacted.
Unless otherwise excluded, a typical homeowners policy covers damage from a fire to your dwelling, other structures and personal property. A renters insurance policy will cover damage to your personal property. The amount and type of insurance pay out depends on your provider and policy selection.
Homes in regions with a high risk from wildfires might not qualify for a standard homeowners insurance policy.
Wildfire statistics
Bushfire, brushfire, forest fire, rural fire and wildland fire are different terms for wildfire—the region and characteristics of the fire determine the type of wildfire. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), wildfires are an increasing concern not only due to the loss of property involved but also its impact on air quality, crops, resources, transportation and health issues for animals and people. Most wildfires are caused by human activity such as unattended campfires and discarded cigarettes while some are caused by lava and lighting.
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. (NIFC)
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)
The worst wildfires in U.S. history
The Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I) rated the costliest wildland fires in the United States. Based on its data, the top five costliest wildfires, all in California, each caused several billions of dollars in insured losses.
Camp Fire, 2018: Total damages from the costliest U.S. wildfire of all time are estimated at $10 billion, roughly $10.75 billion in 2021 value. The fire burned 18,804 structures and 153,335 acres of woodland.
Tubbs Fire, 2017: The Tubbs fire incurred $8.7 billion in estimated insured losses or about $9.56 billion by 2021 value. This electrical fire caused 36,807 acres of woodland to burn and 5,636 structures.
Woolsey Fire, 2018: The Woolsey Fire cost $4.2 billion in estimated losses, or $4.56 million with inflation. There were 1,643 structures and 96,949 acres of woodland destroyed.
Oakland Fire (Tunnel), 1991: This wildfire in the early 90s caused estimated losses of $1.7 billion, or $3.35 billion with 2021 inflation value. There were 2,900 structures and 1,600 acres of woodland damaged.
Atlas Fire, 2017: The Atlas Fire cost about $3 billion in damages, or what would be $3.3 billion in 2021. The fire caused damage to 903 structures and burned 51,624 acres of woodland.
Bankrate’s take:Homeowners living in a high-risk wildfire area should evaluate the current policy limits for their dwelling, other structures and personal property and then work with their agent to customize their home insurance with the appropriate level of coverage. Assets like jewelry, collectibles, musical instruments and even some electronics usually have a predetermined payout limit. This limit varies between providers and you may need to purchase an additional endorsement for extra coverage. Not all insurance companies offer coverage in wildfire areas, so homeowners should shop around to find the best coverage available. For example, as of May 27, 2023, State Farm stopped accepting new homeowners policies in California due to the amount of risk they took on in the past. Allstate has also stopped writing new policies in the state, and Farmers has limited its coverage in California.
Wildfires in recent years
The National Interagency Fire Center offers year-over-year data for U.S. wildfires, although recordkeeping did not begin until 1983.
U.S. Wildfires by Year
*North Carolina state lands are exempt from 2004 fires and acreage.
Wildfire suppression
Fires need fuel, heat and oxygen to burn. Wildfire suppression means to manage, modify, prevent or extinguish a wildfire. Several strategies are used to suppress wildfires, including creating control lines using prescribed burns or natural barriers like rocky slopes or large barren soil areas and removing the fire’s fuel source, such as using hand tools or heavy equipment to remove quick-burning vegetation. National Guard members can also be deployed to support efforts, providing air assistance for mapping the fire, dropping flame retardant and water, as well as offering assistance on the ground as firefighters and EMTs. The area’s landscape, plus fire and weather conditions, determine the method used.
The National Interagency Fire Center offers data on annual suppression costs for U.S. wildfires. The five-year average costs the Forest Service over $2 billion, while the cost to DOI agencies was more than $525 million. The total ten-year average is less, at around $1.9 billion, suggesting that the cost of suppressing these fires is going up over time. At nearly $4.4 billion, 2021 was the most expensive year for total fire suppression costs since record-keeping began in 1985, when the total annual costs topped out at just under $240 million.
Annual wildfire suppression costs
Year | Forest Service | DOI Agencies | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
2021 | $3,741,000,000 | $648,000,000 | $4,389,000,000 |
2020 | $1,764,000,000 | $510,000,000 | $2,274,000,000 |
2019 | $1,150,000,000 | $440,000,000 | $1,590,000,000 |
2018 | $2,615,256,000 | $528,000,000 | $3,143,256,000 |
2017 | $2,410,165,000 | $508,000,000 | $2,918,165,000 |
2016 | $1,603,806,000 | $371,739,000 | $1,975,545,000 |
2015 | $1,713,000,000 | $417,543,000 | $2,130,543,000 |
Wildfire statistics by state
To best understand how wildfires affect the different regions of the U.S., this NIFC table shows the number of wildfires by cause and type in 2022.
Wildfires by State
Riskiest states for wildfires
California is by far the most at-risk state for wildfires in the U.S., with nearly triple the number of properties at-risk in 2022 as the second-highest state. While Texas had less than 717,000 at-risk properties, California had more than two million.
California: 2,040,600
Texas: 717,800
Colorado: 373,900
Arizona: 242,200
Idaho: 175,000
These are the top at-risk states for wildfire in the U.S. based on the number of properties at extreme risk.
At-risk states
Rank | State | Number of at-risk properties |
|---|---|---|
1. | California | 2,040,600 |
2. | Texas | 717,800 |
3. | Colorado | 373,900 |
4. | Arizona | 242,200 |
5. | Idaho | 175,000 |
6. | Washington | 155,500 |
7. | Oklahoma | 153,400 |
8. | Oregon | 147,500 |
9. | Montana | 137,800 |
10. | Utah | 136,000 |
California wildfires
California has made a name for itself with wildfires. CAL FIRE and its partner agencies offer current and past U.S. wildfire season statistics. Wildfires in 2021 burned almost 2.6 million acres, damaged or destroyed 3,629 structures and caused three fatalities. There was a slowdown in destruction from California wildfires in 2022 with 362,455 acres burned, 104 structures damaged, 772 structures destroyed and sadly, nine civilian fatalities.
The 2021 Dixie fire burned from July 13 to October 25 and encompassed five counties, making it the largest single wildfire and the second-largest in the history of California. It damaged 95 structures, destroyed 1,329 and caused one firefighter fatality. There were 725 personnel involved in containing the Dixie Fire.
As of the publishing of this article, 2023 is forecasted to be an average wildfire season due to the wet winter and spring. Currently, there have been 1,392 wildfires burning through 2,670 acres, with zero fatalities or structure damage.
Fire damage restoration
The average home insurance policy covers the structure of your home, as well as personal belongings and additional living expenses, should you be affected by a wildfire. Those with renters insurance, condo insurance, and manufactured or mobile home insurance should check their policies to ensure adequate coverage in case of a wildfire.
However, if you live in a high-risk area for wildfires, such as California, you could be denied coverage. In this case, the California FAIR plan is one option that offers basic coverage for high-risk customers who typically cannot find standard home insurance. After a record year of wildfires in 2018, it was estimated that 350,000 California home and business owners could not purchase adequate property and casualty insurance because of the increased risk that providers were facing. Significant issues were created for homeowners trying to satisfy mortgage requirements of home insurance.
Many home insurance policies cover damage from the wildfire as well as smoke damage. If you receive smoke damage, you can file a claim with your insurance company. Most carriers offer several ways to file a claim, including online, over the phone and through a mobile app. Once the claim is filed, an insurance adjuster will be assigned to your case, who will provide you with next steps. Be aware that the claims process can move slowly when there are a large number of structures and vehicles affected.
You may wish to call a remediation company, who can start the process of repairing your home after smoke or fire damage while you wait for next steps from the insurance company. The company can work with you to save damaged items. You should consider taking photos and video of the damage and retain receipts for any out-of-pocket costs that could be covered as part of your homeowners claim.
Frequently asked questions
How can you prepare for a wildfire?
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends having a clear wildfire preparation plan for children, individuals with medical conditions, pets and livestock. Make sure to be familiar with different routes to leave your home and local shelter options. Emergency supplies and go-bags should be on hand with 72-hours worth of reserves. If possible, create a “clean-room” in your home — a room with few windows and doors with a portable air cleaner — for a fire situation that allows you to remain in your home as long as you can maintain safe air quality.
When is wildfire season?
Wildfire season happens at different times across the nation and can come early or late depending on how wet the winter was and how dry the summer will be. For example, AccuWeather predicts that springtime in California poses a low wildfire threat. However, August and September will be peak wildfire season for Northern California and September to November will be peak wildfire season for Central and Southern California. Parts of Idaho, Montana, northern Nevada, Oregon and Washington could see wildfires as early as June and may hit peak wildfire season between July and September. Check with your local fire department to know when to be on guard for wildfires in your region.
How can I stay safe during a wildfire?
Staying alert and prepared is the best way to keep safe during a wildfire—if a fire is in your area, receive constant alerts in case you need to leave. Some basic necessities to keep readily available are a crank or battery-powered radio, N-95 mask, charged cell phone, flashlight, sturdy shoes and water. When it is time to evacuate, make sure everyone is wearing long sleeve shirts and pants made from cotton or other flame-resistant materials to protect their skin and goggles or glasses to protect their eyes.
