Wildfire Increasingly an Urban Issue

  • More than 15,000 wildfires burned in the continental United States from 2000 to 2013.
  • During these years, 127 urban areas (cities with more than 75,000 residents) were threatened by major wildfires (fires greater than 5 square miles in area) that burned within 10 miles of the city.
  • In many cases, urban areas have been threatened repeatedly by major wildfires events.
  • Cities in the West are particularly vulnerable to wildfire because the West contains conditions conducive to wildfire such as extensive and remote forest areas and frequent drought conditions.

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Author:
Ray Rasker, Ph.D.

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