2020 Western American Wildfires: California, Oregon, Colorado
Throughout the second half of 2020, wildfires ripped across the American West, specifically California, Oregon, and Colorado.
Wildfires scorched several states in the second half of 2020, mainly California, Oregon, and Colorado. California saw more than 9,000 reported incidents that burned over four million acres of land and resulted in 33 confirmed deaths. The flames released roughly 112 million tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and blanketed major cities like San Francisco in orange smog for days on end. The 2020 fires burned more than double the area of the previous record set the year prior. Five of the six most damaging fires in state history occurred during the 2020 wildfire season.
Oregon experienced severe wildfires around Labor Day in 2020 due to intense drought and high winds. In 2020, Oregon saw almost 1.07 million acres burned, costing $354 million to combat the fires. In 2019, Oregon saw just two homes destroyed by the fires.
Colorado was faced with the most active fire season in the state’s history in 2020, seeing three of the largest recorded fires ever in the same year. Warmer than usual temperatures, droughts, and heavy recreational traffic combined to cause the fires. At one point, the wildfires continued for over 100 days, with two fires alone burning 400,000 acres.
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