U.S. breaks all-time wildfire record – More than 9.8 million acres burned in 2015

26 November 2015 (Desdemona Despair) – Because 2015 is certain to be the hottest year on record globally, it’s reasonable to expect that it will also be the worst year for wildfires. In the U.S., this has turned out to be the case: wildfires in 2015 have exceeded the record of 9.8 million acres (3.9 million hectares) set in 2006. In this week’s National Interagency Fire Center wildfire report, the year-to-date area burned by wildfires stands at 9,814,916 acres. By this time in 2006, the value was 9,508,556 acres. Canada had a very active fire season as well, with nearly 9.9 million acres (4 million ha) burned, almost twice the ten-year average. The area burned in British Columbia was nearly three times the 10-year average, and Northwest Territories had its second-worst season on record, after the disastrous 2014 fire season.