AP Photo/ James Woodcock) |
In 2006, fires burned the most acres in nearly half a century.
The United States suffered the worst wildfire season since 1960, with fires burning more than 9.3 million acres as of Oct. 16. That was up from 8,236,638 acres burned last year and is nearly twice the 10-year average of 5,253,955 acres.
In part, the high numbers stemmed from a longer-than-usual season. Fires swept Oklahoma in December 2005, then ravaged Texas in January before settling into the usual spots in the West and the South during the spring and summer. A series of late-season fires in Nevada, Idaho, Washington and Montana, triggered by unusual hot and dry weather, furthered the acreage totals.
One bright spot within all the destruction: Firefighters were largely successful in protecting structures. Although some houses did burn, fire managers avoided the enormous expenses associated with the 2002 fire season. Still, the sheer number of fires and the fact that several of them—such as the Day Fire in California and the Tripod Complex in Washington—burned for weeks in hard-to-access areas, caused suppression costs to add up. By September, the $1.4 billion federal firefighting fund was almost strapped; the Senate approved a $275 million cash infusion for additional needs.
Just as firefighters were preparing to wrap up the season, California was hard hit in October, as the Esperanza Fire burned out of control near Palm Springs, resulting in the deaths of five firefighters.
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