NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information
The satellite image to the right shows 2 fires burning in early September. From the NIFC's September 3rd report, the Commissary Ridge Fire in Wyoming had burned approximately 1,800 acres and was 20% contained as of the 3rd, and the Big Fish Fire in Colorado had scorched 15,800 acres and was 0% contained. Further information on this year's fire season can be found at the National Interagency Fire Center's web-site.
Fire activity has been much reduced in September compared to the earlier months of the fire season. Though the eastern season should now be beginning to get underway, rainfall associated with tropical systems has helped to alleviate some drought in the southeast, and fire risk is much reduced in these areas. The image to the left shows a fire burning to the northeast of Los Angeles, California, in the Angeles National Forest. The NIFC incident report of September 27th indicated that the Williams Fire had burned over 32,000 acres and was only 35% contained at the time of that report.
| As of September 30th | Nationwide Number of Fires | Nationwide Number of Acres Burned |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 67,304 | 6,579,125 |
| 2001 | 63,161 | 3,228,802 |
| 2000 | 80,294 | 6,866,910 |
| 10-year Average | 70,541 | 3,470,409 |
Seasonal (January 1-September 30th) wildfire statistics, according to the National Interagency Fire Center are in the table to the right.