Destructive wildfires raged across the West Coast this summer, destroying towns and chewing up millions of acres in the process. As of September 15, 5.6 million acres — an area about the size of New Jersey — burned in wildfires, according to data compiled by the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). Wildfires from the last 10 years burned more than twice as many acres on average as fires in the 80s.
How often do wildfires occur and how big do they get?
NIFC defines wildfires as any “unplanned and unwanted” fire that begins in an undeveloped location.
