Wildfires are becoming more severe globally as a result of the climate crisis and changes in land usage. According to reports, global extreme fires are projected to increase by 14% by 2030, 30% by 2050, and a staggering 50% by 2100. Regions like the Western US, northern Siberia, central India, and eastern Australia have already witnessed a rise in the frequency of wildfires, according to Earth.org. These devastating fires are causing widespread destruction, permanently changing the natural balance. Currently, regions such as the Western US, northern Siberia, central India, and eastern Australia are experiencing more frequent and intense blazes. Let’s take a closer look at the List of 10 Biggest Wildfires In World History.
List of 10 Biggest Wildfires In World History
1. Peshtigo Fire, Wisconsin, USA (1871)
Wisconsin fire is one of the first in our list of 10 Biggest Wildfires In World History. The Peshtigo Fire in 1871 holds a tragic record as the deadliest wildfire in recorded human history. On October 8, 1871, a massive conflagration swept through the Great Lake region of the United States. It affected states like Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois. The small town, Peshtigo, in northeastern Wisconsin witnessed a devastating toll of at least 1,500 lives lost, which was about 85% of the town’s population at that time.
2. Hinckley Fire, Minnesota, USA (1894)
Minnesota also experienced the second deadliest wildfire in recorded history. The blaze swept through Pine County in Eastern Minnesota, causing widespread devastation in the small town of Hinckley. The fire ignited in the afternoon of September 1, 1894, and raged on until late in the evening, claiming the lives of 418 people. The region was renowned for its extensive logging activities during that period. The unusually scorching and dry summer drought of 1894 created the perfect conditions for several small fires in the nearby pine forest to merge into a massive and lethal wildfire.
3. The Great Fire of 1910, USA
The Great Fire of 1910, also known as the Big Blowup, struck the USA, affecting the states of Idaho, Montana, and Washington. It occurred in the summer of 1910 and remains one of the largest wildfires in U.S. history. The fire covered a vast area, consuming more than 3 million acres of land. The catastrophic event led to the deaths of at least 87 people and had a profound impact on the nation’s forest management policies and firefighting techniques.
4. Black Saturday Bushfires, Australia (2009)
A deadly wildfire struck Australia due to an extreme heat wave and a faulty power line. The bushfires began on February 7, 2009, during record-breaking high temperatures in Southern Australia. Melbourne reached a scorching 46.4 °C (115.5 °F), the highest ever recorded. At the same time, strong winds in Victoria caused a faulty power line in Kilmore East to collapse and ignite the devastating fires. Over a month, the bushfires ravaged Victoria, burning 450,000 hectares (1.1 million acres), claiming 173 lives, injuring over 400, and leaving thousands homeless.
5. Cloquet Fire, Minnesota, USA (1918)
In October 1918, the most fatal wildfire of the 20th Century struck Carlton County, located in Northeastern Minnesota, USA, close to the state border with Wisconsin. It caused a tragic toll of 453 lives lost and affected nearly 2,000 people, making it the worst disaster ever recorded in Minnesota’s history. The region was well-known for its logging industry during the early 1900s, but by the late 1910s, much of the land had been harvested, leaving vast open areas. This attracted many farmers who bought the available lands in the county, resulting in a large population settling in the area.
6. Alaska Fire Season, Alaska, US (2004)
The fire season in Alaska during 2004 marked the worst on record for the state in terms of the area burned. Over 6.6 million acres (2.6 million hectares) of land were consumed by 701 fires, with 215 of them ignited by lightning and the remaining 426 caused by human activities. The summer of 2004 was unusually warm and wet, leading to a surge in lightning strikes. However, a dry August brought a change, and the fires persisted through September due to the dry conditions and elevated temperatures.
7. Bolivia Forest Fires, South America, (2010)
In August 2010, Bolivia faced a severe forest fire outbreak, with over 25,000 fires blazing across the country, devastating around 3.7 million acres (1.5 million hectares) of land, especially in the Amazon region. The thick smoke caused by these fires led to flight cancellations, and the government declared a state of emergency. The fires were sparked by a combination of farmers intentionally clearing land for planting and dry vegetation due to an extreme drought during the summer months. These forest fires were among the worst Bolivia had encountered in almost three decades.
8. Richardson Backcountry Fire, Canada (2011)
In May 2011, a massive wildfire named the Richardson Backcountry Fire erupted in Alberta, Canada. It was the biggest fire incident since the 1950 Chinchaga Fire. The blaze engulfed almost 1.7 million acres (688,000 hectares) of the boreal forest, leading to evacuations and closures. Though authorities believed that human actions were the main cause, the extremely dry conditions, unusually high temperatures, and strong winds worsened the fire’s intensity.
9. The Australian Bushfires (2020)
Extreme fires swept through New South Wales and Queensland. They scorched 42 million acres of land and caused widespread destruction to buildings and lives. Tragically, around 3 billion animals, including 61,000 koalas, perished. The fires were fueled by Australia’s hottest and driest conditions ever recorded in late 2019 and early 2020, making them more destructive and difficult to control.
10. Northwest Territories Fires, Canada (2014)
During the summer of 2014, more than 150 separate fires erupted in the Northwest Territories. The fires covered an enormous area of about 442 square miles in northern Canada. Out of these fires, 13 were suspected to have been started by human activities. The massive amount of smoke produced by these fires led to air quality warnings in Canada and the United States.
