25 Wildfires That Went Down In History As Truly Catastrophic And Devastating

The 2019–20 Australian bushfire season, also referred to as Black Summer, was one of the most destructive fire seasons recorded in the country’s history. The fires resulted in 33 direct fatalities, while an additional 417 were linked to bushfire smoke. An estimated 3 billion terrestrial vertebrates, mostly reptiles, also perished or were displaced. With over 24 million hectares burned and 3,000 structures destroyed, the total damage came to $100 billion.

On Saturday, 7 February 2009, as many as 400 individual fires were recorded across the Australian state of Victoria. The fires, which were exacerbated by extreme weather conditions, injured 414 people and resulted in 173 fatalities—the country’s highest-ever loss of human life from a bushfire. With over 3500 structures destroyed, including 2,029 houses, many people were left homeless. The day has become widely known as Black Saturday.

The 2007 Greek forest fires were a series of devastating infernos that tore through Greece during the summer of 2007. Believed to have been caused by arson and negligence, the fires caused 85 fatalities and injured dozens more. For almost four months, over 3,000 fires burned 270,000 hectares or 4% of Greece’s total forest area. They also destroyed 2,100 structures, nearly half of which were residential homes.

The 2023 Canada wildfires were a series of record-setting fires that started between March and November 2023. Affecting all 13 provinces and territories, the fires burned over 18.49 million hectares in total. This was the largest area burned in both Canadian and North American recorded history, surpassing the 1989, 1995, and 2014 fire seasons. Eight firefighters tragically lost their lives, and between 185,000 and 232,000 people were displaced.

The Jones Road fire broke out on April 22, 2025, in a region of eastern New Jersey called the Pine Barrens. Considered one of the worst cases in the state's history, the fire burned for 20 days across 15,300 acres and led to the forced evacuation of around 5000 residents. Authorities traced the cause to an improperly extinguished bonfire, and two teenage boys, aged 17 and 19, were arrested and charged with aggravated arson.

Sparked by broken power lines and fueled by dry, windy conditions, the 2023 Hawaii wildfires broke out in early August 2023 on the island of Maui. The fires resulted in 102 fatalities and injured over 67 people. Over eight days, four fires burned 6,880 hectares, causing widespread damage amounting to $5.5 billion, primarily in the Lahaina community. Of the 2,200 structures destroyed, 96 percent were homes. Others, like the Lahaina Historic District, were significant cultural landmarks.

The 2021 Greek wildfires were a series of wildfires that swept through Greece in August 2021. Found to be the result of arson, the fires resulted in three casualties and injured at least 20 people. They also led to the evacuation of thousands, destroyed dozens of homes, and burned over 125,000 hectares of forest and arable land. The fires were considered the worst since the 2007 Greek forest fires, which destroyed more than double the area of the 2021 fires.

In mid-July to August 2018, wildfires tore through the northern part of California. Declared a state of national disaster, 8,527 fires scorched 799,289 hectares or 2% of the state's land. There were a total of 103 confirmed fatalities and 24,226 structures damaged. The fires resulted in around $26.4 billion in property damage and firefighting costs. After taking recovery expenditures, health costs, as well as direct and indirect economic losses into account, the total cost of the 2018 wildfires was around $148.5 billion.

The Black Friday bushfires were part of the devastating 1939 bushfire season in Victoria, Australia. It was estimated that 75 percent of the State of Victoria was directly or indirectly affected by the infernos, with ash falling as far away as New Zealand. Over 2 million hectares were burned, and whole towns were completely destroyed. Considered the third-deadliest bushfire event in Australian history, 71 people tragically lost their lives.

The Yellowstone fires broke out on June 14, 1988, in Yellowstone National Park in the United States. Sparked by lightning strikes, drought conditions, and increasing winds, the fires quickly converged into one of the largest wildfires in the park’s history. Over the following months, they burned a total of 793,880 acres, or 36 percent of the park, causing over $120 million (equivalent to $322 million in 2025) in damage. The fires were eventually extinguished that November, when late autumn weather brought cooler and wet conditions.

The Turkey wildfires were a series of over two hundred wildfires that raged across Turkey’s Mediterranean Region between 28 July and 12 August 2021. Deemed the worst ever wildfire season in the country’s history, there were 9 fatalities and over 800 injuries. The fires also scorched over 170,000 hectares, most of which were Turkish pine forests. While many suspected the fires were the result of sabotage, this was never proved. Instead, they were attributed to months of severe drought and extreme temperatures.

During California's 2017 wildfire season, it was reported that a total of 9,560 fires burned through 626,300 hectares of land. There were also 47 fatalities, almost as high as the previous 10 years combined. With more than 10,280 structures damaged or destroyed, the wildfires collectively caused up to $18 billion in damage. This included $13.2 billion in insured losses, $3 billion in economic losses, and $1.8 billion in fire suppression costs. 

The Black Dragon fire was a catastrophic forest blaze that erupted in a mountain range in northeastern China in 1987. It destroyed 7.3 million hectares of forest, including one-sixth of China's entire timber reserves. The disaster claimed 211 lives and wounded 266 more. Additionally, over 50,000 people were left homeless. It remains one of the largest wildfires ever recorded, and the most severe to strike China in over 300 years.

In 1989, over 1,100 fires burned through 3,28 million hectares of land in Manitoba, Canada. Approximately 24,500 people were displaced from 32 communities as a result of the outbreak of fires that lasted at least three months. The fire behavior recorded during that time was so extreme that it cost the country over $48.4 million ($105 million in 2025) to suppress.

This wildfire started on February 6, 2025, and was Japan’s largest in over 50 years. Before it was put out on March 9, it destroyed 171 properties, led to 1 fatality, and displaced over 4,500 people. According to Yusuke Yokoyama, a professor at the University of Tokyo attributed the fire’s rapid spread to the dry conditions, very flammable conifers, and strong air currents.

During California's 2022 wildfire season, over 7,477 fires destroyed over 134,000 hectares across the state. The blazes claimed 9 lives, destroyed 772 structures, and damaged 104. Compared to past years, they were deemed less severe, with the fewest acres burned since 2019. The downturn in severity was credited to favorable weather patterns, such as timely rain and mild winds. Major investments in wildfire resilience projects and community outreach also played a crucial role.

The 2011 Texas wildfires were destructive blazes that raged across the state during that year’s fire season. Over 31,500 fires burned 1,623,481 hectares, double the previous record and nearly half of all the U.S acreage burned in 2011. With over 2,947 homes and more than 2,700 other structures destroyed, total damages were estimated at $513 million ($709 million in 2025). Timber losses alone could have produced $1.6 billion worth of products and a total economic impact of roughly $3.4 billion.

On 17 June 2017, a series of destructive wildfires erupted across central Portugal. The fires caused 66 fatalities and led to over 204 people being injured. They also destroyed 44,969 hectares of land. While a dry thunderstorm was cited as the likely cause, the President of the Portuguese Firefighters League insisted the fires were started by arsonists. In response to the disaster, Prime Minister António Costa also declared three days of national mourning.

On December 2, 2010, the Mount Carmel Forest fire swept across northern Israel due to the improper use of a hookah by a 14-year-old. The fire forced the evacuation of more than 17,000 people, claimed 44 lives, and injured dozens. It burned over 4,000 hectares, resulting in considerable property and environmental damage worth over $67.6 million in 2025.

For nearly a month, 14 wildfires ravaged Los Angeles and San Diego in the United States at the start of 2025. The fires that burned through over 57,000 acres of land were brought on by drought conditions, decreased humidity, vegetation buildup, and hurricane winds. With over 18,000 homes destroyed, more than 200,000 people were forced to evacuate, and at least 30 people lost their lives as a result of the fires.

During the 2020 wildfire season, wildfires swept through the western United States. Fueled by dry, hot conditions and strong winds, many of the fires merged into megafires, destroying over 4.1 million hectares of land and 13,000 structures. The fires also caused over 47 direct and 1,200 to 3,000 indirect fatalities from smoke inhalation. In total, the fires resulted in over $19.8 billion in damages, including $16.5 billion in property damage and $3.4 billion in firefighting costs.

In 2018, during the European heatwave, a series of wildfires affected Greece, particularly in the coastal areas of Mati and Rafina. At the time, the fires were the second most catastrophic wildfire of the 21st century, with at least 102 casualties. Tragically, the fires also resulted in the loss of over 2,000 homes as well as significant damage to the environment.

In 2010, during the country’s hottest summer in history, hundreds of wildfires spread across the western areas of Russia. Lasting almost two months, the fires resulted in around $15 billion ($22 billion in 2025) in damage and caused a state of emergency in at least seven regions.

On October 8, 1871, the Peshtigo fire swept through northeastern Wisconsin in the United States. It burned roughly 490,000 hectares and remains one of the most destructive wildfires in history. While the exact number of fatalities is unknown, data collected from mass graves suggests that between 1,500 and 2,500 people lost their lives. The fire also resulted in damage worth $5 million or around $125 billion in 2025.

In 2021, California experienced unprecedented fire conditions with 7,396 wildfires burning through over 809,400 hectares of land across the state. The ongoing drought, low rainfall, and reservoir levels in the state exacerbated the fires, which destroyed around 3,629 structures. In addition, three firefighters tragically lost their lives during the wildfire season.