2020 Utah wildfires

2020 Utah wildfires
Date(s)May 12 - November 7
Statistics[2][3]
Total fires1,547[1]
Total area329,732 acres
Impacts
Damage>$103 million (suppression)[4]
2020 Western U.S. wildfires
Multiple wildfires burning near the Pacific coast of the U.S. on September 9, 2020
Affected states
Background
Largest wildfire by state
  • Arizona - Bush (193,455 acres)
  • California - August Complex (1,032,648 acres)
  • Colorado - Cameron Peak (208,913 acres)
  • Nevada - Meadow Valley (59,265 acres)
  • New Mexico - Cub (25,950 acres)
  • Oregon - Santiam (402,274 acres)
  • Utah - East Fork (89,765 acres)
  • Washington - Pearl Hill (223,730 acres)

The 2020 Utah wildfire season was a series of prominent wildfires throughout the state of Utah, lasting from June 1 through October 30, as defined by state law.[5] Part of the 2020 Western United States wildfire season, Utah saw record-breaking numbers of human-caused fires. The largest fire of the season, the East Fork Fire, burned an area of 89,568 acres.[6] In total, the suppression costs for the fires amounted to at least $103 million (2020 USD).[4]

Of the 1,547[1] fires in Utah during 2020, 1,202 (78%) were human-caused, surpassing 2015's record of 937. These fires accounted for nearly 100,000 of the 329,732 total acres burned during this season.[7] The significant rise in human-caused fires was attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, as it forced recreation outside at higher rates.[8]

  1. ^ a b "Wildfire season recap: 2020 produced most human-caused fires on record in Utah, $60M in costs". www.ksl.com. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  2. ^ https://gacc.nifc.gov/gbcc/predictive/products/gbytd-byState.htm
    *This resource is annually updated, therefore its data doesn't represent this article's fires. For the archived PDF, see Great Basin Coordination Center Year-To-Date Report of Fires and Acres By State & Agency for 2020
  3. ^ https://gacc.nifc.gov/sacc/predictive/intelligence/NationalYTDbyStateandAgency.pdf
    *This resource is annually updated, therefore its data doesn't represent this article's fires. For the archived PDF, see National Year-to-Date Report on Fires and Acres Burned by State and Agency for 2020.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference NIFC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Burn Permits and Fire Code | Utah DNR – FFSL (Forestry, Fire and State Lands)". ffsl.utah.gov. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference EF was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Knox, Annie (December 10, 2020). "In Utah's 2020 wildfire season, humans sparked nearly 4 of 5 blazes". Deseret News. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  8. ^ "The coronavirus pandemic is behind Utah's record number of human-caused wildfires, officials say". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved September 8, 2020.