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Idaho Large Wildfire History

Since 1980, 1,035 wildfires of 1,000 acres or more have been mapped in Idaho, 35 of them above 100,000 acres. The largest burned 578,404 ac; together they cover about 17,074,147 ac.

Fires by decade

'80
'90
'00
'10
'20

What starts the fires in Idaho

Every wildfire incident on record has a cause code. Counts are of incidents, not acres — lightning fires are fewer but tend to grow far larger.

By broad cause
Human40%1.3M ac
Natural39%4.3M ac
Undetermined17%1.1M ac
Unknown3%67k ac
Specific cause, where recorded
Lightning856
Firearms174
Recreation160
Debris / open burning149
Equipment / vehicle use144
Arson / incendiary36
Railroad11
Natural (other)3

Source: National Interagency Fire Center, WFIGS incident records (WFIGS incident records, roughly 2014 to present). A specific cause is recorded for only some incidents; “Undetermined” and “Unknown” are the agency's own categories.

Largest in Idaho

Elk Mountain · 2007578,404 acElk Mountain · 2007373,001 acLong Butte · 2010305,995 acMustang Complex · 2012287,852 acSoda · 2015279,144 acSoda · 2015279,112 acDiamond Pt Complex · 2000234,315 acFoothills · 1992229,852 acCrystal · 2006219,901 acCox'S Well · 1996219,437 ac

All mapped large fires

Boundry2,782 ac
1985 · perimeter dated August 11, 1985
Minidoka 6E2,457 ac
1985 · perimeter dated August 19, 1985
Castle Creek1,525 ac
1985 · perimeter dated June 2, 2022
Big Flat Creek1,443 ac
1985 · perimeter dated June 2, 2022
Shasta1,016 ac
1985 · perimeter dated June 2, 2022
Interstate21,814 ac
1984 · perimeter dated August 11, 1984
Sid Butte 3S4,891 ac
1984 · perimeter dated September 7, 1984
Unnamed Fire1,487 ac
1984 · perimeter dated July 18, 1984
Browns Ck26,135 ac
1983 · perimeter dated August 8, 1983
Bray Lake12,039 ac
1983 · perimeter dated July 9, 1983
Unnamed Fire10,581 ac
1983 · perimeter dated September 19, 1983
Dry Canyon9,580 ac
1983 · perimeter dated July 29, 1983
Sorrycharl16,189 ac
1982 · perimeter dated August 12, 1982
J. B.12,697 ac
1982 · perimeter dated August 10, 1982
Richfield East74,192 ac
1981 · perimeter dated July 24, 1981
Unnamed Fire43,644 ac
1981 · perimeter dated August 29, 1981
Browns Glc20,957 ac
1981 · perimeter dated August 20, 1981
Indian Creek12,881 ac
1981 · perimeter dated December 19, 2018
Rattlesnake12,430 ac
1981 · perimeter dated December 19, 2018
Basalt12,322 ac
1981 · perimeter dated July 11, 1981
Dry Fork10,928 ac
1981 · perimeter dated November 3, 1981
Sage Hen6,423 ac
1981 · perimeter dated August 25, 1981
Meeker Ridge3,647 ac
1981 · perimeter dated June 2, 2022
Rathburn3,213 ac
1981 · perimeter dated January 2, 2014
Hammer2,503 ac
1981 · perimeter dated January 2, 2014
Lone Cedar2,421 ac
1981 · perimeter dated August 19, 1981
Blodgett Pass1,948 ac
1981 · perimeter dated June 2, 2022
Tadpole Lake1,353 ac
1981 · perimeter dated June 2, 2022
Divide #21,262 ac
1981 · perimeter dated June 2, 2022
Chalk Creek1,254 ac
1981 · perimeter dated September 2, 1981
Burnt Canyon1,078 ac
1981 · perimeter dated August 1, 1981
Cox Saddle1,055 ac
1981 · perimeter dated June 2, 2022
Flint Mesa15,845 ac
1980 · perimeter dated August 12, 1980
Split Butte5,769 ac
1980 · perimeter dated July 10, 1980
Pasture 13,346 ac
1980 · perimeter dated July 29, 1980

Source: National Interagency Fire Center, Interagency Fire Perimeter History. Only fires with a mapped perimeter of 1,000 acres or more appear; the state is inferred from the responsible unit code. A record of past fires is not a forecast. See About the Data.