2004 Alaska wildfires | |
---|---|
Statistics[1] | |
Total fires | 701 |
Total area | 6,600,000 acres (10,300 sq mi; 27,000 km2)+ |
The 2004 Alaska fire season was the worst wildfire season on record in the U.S. state of Alaska in terms of area burned.[2] Though the 1989 fire season recorded more fires, nearly 1,000, the 2004 season burned more than 6,600,000 acres (10,300 sq mi; 27,000 km2) in just 701 fires.[1] The largest of these fires was the Taylor Complex Fire.[3] This fire consumed over 1,700,000 acres (2,700 sq mi; 6,900 km2) and was the deemed to be the largest fire in the United States from at least 1997 to 2019.[3] Out of all 701 fires, 426 fires were started by humans and 215 by lightning.[1]