This is a list of notable wildfires.
Africa
2017 Knysna fires, South Africa 2021 Algeria wildfires 2021 Table Mountain fire, South Africa 2022 Moroccan wildfires 2024 Western Cape wildfires, South Africa 2025 Table Mountain fire, South Africa 2026 jijel Wildfire, algeria
Asia China 1987 – The Black Dragon Fire burnt a total of of forest along the Amur River, with destroyed on the Chinese side alone and spread to the Soviet side.The Breath of the Black Dragon in Russia and China, The New York Times (1 October 1988)
1996 – Pat Sin Leng wildfire, Tai Po; 5 hikers killed (3 pupils and 2 teachers) on 10 February.
India 2016 Uttarakhand forest fires 2019 Bandipur forest fires 2020 Uttarakhand forest fires 2020–21 Dzüko Valley wildfires 2021 Simlipal forest fires
Indonesia
1997 Indonesian forest fires 2026 Indonesia wildfires
Israel 1989 Mount Carmel forest fire 1995 Jerusalem forest fire 2010 Mount Carmel forest fire – Started on 2 December 2010 and burned of forest, killing 44 people, most of them Israel Prison Service officer cadets, when a bus evacuating them was trapped in flames. November 2016 Israel wildfires 2021 Israel wildfires 2025 Israel–West Bank fires
Japan
Ōfunato wildfire
Kazakhstan 2022 Kazakhstan wildfires 2023 Kazakhstan wildfires – 14 people died in a series of forest fires caused by lightning in the northeast of the country.
Malaysia
2005 Malaysian haze
Mongolia
2022 Mongolian wildfires
Pakistan
2022 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa wildfires
South East Asia
1997 Southeast Asian haze 2006 Southeast Asian haze 2009 Southeast Asian haze 2010 Southeast Asian haze 2013 Southeast Asian haze 2015 Southeast Asian haze 2016 Southeast Asian haze 2017 Southeast Asian haze 2019 Southeast Asian haze
South Korea April 2000, Gangwon-do Gangneung wildfire March 2013, Gyeongsangbukdo Pohang wildfire. 2025 South Korea wildfires
Syria 2020 – Fires in Al-Suwayda Governorate in May, followed by Al-Hasakah Governorate in the summer, then in Latakia and Hama Governorates in September, next in Latakia again, Homs, and Tartus Governorates in October.
Vietnam
2019 Vietnam forest fires
Arctic
According to the WTO in June 2019 arctic wildfires emitted of CO2. This was more than between 2010 and 2018 combined. Most carbon release was from Alaska and Siberia, but also included other arctic areas e.g., in Canada. In Siberia the temperature was about higher in June 2019 than the average. In Anchorage, Alaska, on 4 July 2019, the temperature was , setting a new all-time record high temperature for the town.
Europe Croatia 2007 Croatian coast fires, burning .
France The 1949 Landes Forest Fire burned of forest land and killed 82 people. 2021 France wildfires 2025 wildfire in southern France burns 11,000 hectares. 2026 France wildfires 2026 Gironde's wildfire. As of the 26th of July 2026, 42,000 hectares have burnt.
Germany In the fire on the Lüneburg Heath in Lower Saxony in August 1975, of heathland burned, killing 5 firefighters. In May/June 1992 near Weißwasser (Saxony) of forest burned. One firefighter was killed in an accident.
Greece 1985 forest fires burnt 105,000 hectares with the worst affected being around Kavala in eastern Macedonia and Thasos Island in the north Aegean. 2000 forest fires were the worst forest fires to date and included the island of Samos in east Aegean and at Mount Mainalon and eastern Corinthia in the Peloponnese. The burnt area was 167,000 hectares which is the second highest in recent history (after the 2007 fires). 2007 Greek forest fires were by far the worst fires in recent Greek history. Over 270,000 hectares were burnt mostly in the Peloponnese region (especially in Elis region) and southern Evia as well as Mount Parnitha near Athens. 2009 Greek forest fires saw 21,000 hectares burnt around Mount Penteli near Athens. 2018 Greek wildfires were the deadliest in recent history with over 100 deaths in and around the village of Mati near Athens. 2021 Greek wildfires were the worst fires since 2007 with over 125,000 hectares burnt mostly in northern Evia, the Elis region of Peloponnese and around Tatoi near Athens. 2023 Greek wildfires 2024 Greek wildfires 2026 Greece wildfires
Italy 2021 Italy wildfires 2026 Italy wildfires
Mediterranean
2009 Mediterranean wildfires in France, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Turkey in July. 2022 European and Mediterranean wildfires
Poland 1992: 10 August – a fire on the Noteć Forest burned of forest. 26 August – Kuźnia Raciborska fire: on a fire in and around Kuźnia Raciborska destroyed of forest and killed two firefighters. A third casualty is often mentioned, but she did not die in the fire; she was involved in a collision with a fire engine that skidded. 2020: A fire in the Biebrza National Park burned 6,000 ha of forest.
Portugal August 2003 Wildfires, destroying 10% of Portuguese forests and killing 18 people. 2016 Portugal wildfires June 2017 Portugal wildfires and October 2017 Portugal wildfires, catastrophic series of fires that trapped and killed more than 100 people. 2018 - wildfires near the city of Portimao.Portugal wildfire spreads towards tourist beach spots , Sky News, 7 August 2018, accessed 14 August 2018 2024 Portugal wildfires 2026 Portugal wildfires
Russia July and August 1915 Siberian wildfires fires burned for 50 days and burned about 14 million ha. 1921 Mari wildfires August 1935 – Kursha-2 settlement was burned out with 1,200 victims. 2003 Siberian Taiga wildfires – more than , primarily boreal forest, were burned in southern Siberia from 14 March to 8 August. Direct carbon emissions were around 400-640 TgC (). 2010 Russian wildfires – Drought and the hottest summer since records began in 1890 caused many devastating forest fires in European Russia. 2015 Russian wildfires – A series of wildfires in southern Siberia killed 26 people and left thousands homeless. 2018 Russian wildfires 2019 Russian wildfires – were burned as of 2 August according to Russia's Federal Forestry Agency ( according to Greenpeace). 2020 Russian wildfires 2021 Russian wildfires 2022 Siberian wildfires 2024 Russian wildfires
Spain 17 July 2005 – Guadalajara province – a forest fire caused by an improperly extinguished barbecue burned and killed 11 firefighters. The environmental councilor of Castilla-La Mancha, Rosario Arévalo, resigned from her position as a result. 2016 Benidorm forest fire – burnt more than and destroyed at least 20 homes. June 2019 – burning near Tarragona. 2019 Canary Islands wildfires 2023 Tenerife wildfire 2026 Spain wildfires 2026 Almería wildfire
Turkey
2009 Mediterranean wildfires 2020 Turkish wildfires 2021 Turkish wildfires Sweden 2014 Västmanland wildfire – a forest fire with 1 verified death. 2018 Sweden wildfires
Ukraine Wildfire near Kreminna, 1996 – around 70 km2 (7,000 ha) Wildfire in Kherson Oblast (uk), 2007 – more than 87.5 km2 (87,500 ha)На Херсонщині лісівники підготувалися до гасіння літніх пожеж - Суспільне 2020 Chernobyl Exclusion Zone wildfires – 470 km2 (47,000 ha)
United Kingdom May 2011 – Swinley Forest fire, Berkshire, England. Fire appliances from 12 counties attended over several days due to the large area of the fire. The fire service incident log for the call was over 500 pages long. 2018 United Kingdom wildfires 2019 United Kingdom wildfires 2022 United Kingdom wildfires Cannich wildfire 2025 United Kingdom wildfires 2026 United Kingdom wildfires
North America
Canada and the United States From 2007 to 2017, wildfires burned an average of per year in the U.S. and Canada, respectively.
† Indicates a currently burning fire
Year Size Name Area Notes 1825 1825 Miramichi fire New Brunswick Killed between 160 and 300 people.1845The Great FireOregon1865The Silverton FireOregon1853The Yaquina FireOregon1868The Coos FireOregon 1870 Saguenay Fire Quebec 1871 Peshtigo Fire Wisconsin Killed between 1,200 and 2,500 people and has the distinction of being the conflagration that caused the most deaths by fire in United States history. It was overshadowed by the Great Chicago Fire that occurred on the same day. 1871 Great Michigan Fire Michigan Overshadowed by the Great Chicago Fire that occurred on the same day. 1876 Bighorn Fire Wyoming 1881 Thumb Fire Michigan Killed 282 people. 1889 Santiago Canyon Fire California 1894 Great Hinckley Fire Minnesota Killed 418+ people and destroyed 12 towns.1898South Carolina 1902 Yacolt Burn Washington and Oregon 65+ deaths, plus 20 other fire events from 1910 - 1952. 1903 Adirondack Fire New York 190864,000 acres (25,900 ha)1908 Fernie FireBritish ColumbiaTown of Fernie, BC destroyed. 22 casualties reported. Cause: logging slash. 1910 Great Fire of 1910 Idaho and Montana 87 people (including 78 firefighters) killed and several towns destroyed across north Idaho and western Montana. ~2,000 separate blazes burned an area the size of Connecticut in what is believed to have been the largest fire in recorded U.S. history up to that point, although it has since been exceeded by the 2011 Texas wildfires and the 2020 California wildfires. 1911 Great Porcupine Fire Ontario Killed between 73 and 200 people. 1916 Great Matheson Fire Ontario Killed 223 people according to official figures, and destroyed several towns, Cochrane burnt again after just five years. 1918 Cloquet Fire Minnesota andWisconsin Killed 453 people.19195,000,000 acres (2,023,000 ha)Great Fire of 1919Alberta and SaskatchewanSpanning from Lac La Biche, AB to almost Prince Albert, SK. Village of Lac La Biche destroyed. 300+ people homeless. An estimated $200,000 in property damage. Cause: drought, high winds, lightning. Forest Fire area burned is an estimation. 1922 Great Fire of 1922 Ontario Killed 43 people and burnt through 18 townships in the Timiskaming District.1923Giant Berkeley FireCaliforniaLeveled 50 city blocks, destroying 624 buildings.19331933 Griffith Park FireCaliforniaKilled 29 firefighters and injured more than 150 people.1933Tillamook BurnOregon1935Big Scrub FireFloridaThe fire spread at , the fastest spreading fire in US Forest Service history.1937Blackwater Creek FireWyomingKilled 15 firefighters. 1947 Great Fires of 1947 Maine A series of fires that lasted ten days; 16 people killed. Destroyed part of Bar Harbor and damaged Acadia National Park. 1949 Mann Gulch fire Montana 12 firefighters who parachuted near the fire and 1 forest ranger died after being overtaken by a 200-foot wall of fire at the top of a gulch near Helena, Montana. 1950 Chinchaga Fire British Columbia and Alberta Largest single North American fire on record. The B.C. portion was just 90,000 ha. 1953 Rattlesnake Fire California Killed 15 firefighters. Well known textbook case used to train firefighters. 1958 Kech Fire British Columbia Largest wildfire in BC history until the 2017 Plateau Fire of 521,012 hectares. 1961 Bel Air Fire California 484 homes destroyed and ~112 injuries. 1963 Black Saturday Fire New Jersey 400 buildings destroyed and 7 people killed. 1970 Laguna Fire California 382 homes destroyed and 8 people killed. 1977 Marble Cone Fire California Vandenberg Air Force Base, 4 people killed, including the base commander, and two fire chiefs. 1983 Swiss Fire British Columbia Houston, British Columbia, destroyed 7 residences. 1985 Allen Fire North Carolina Nearly 93,000 acres of forest, wetlands and farmland burned in northeastern North Carolina in one of the biggest fires in modern state history. 1987 Siege of 1987 California and Oregon Cause: large lightning storm in late August. The storm started roughly 1,600 new fires, most caused by dry lightning. 1988 Yellowstone fires of 1988 Wyoming andMontana Never controlled by firefighters; only burned out when a snowstorm hit. 19898,105,000 acres