Map reveals where in the US wildfires are most likely to occur this summer

A map by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) shows places in the US at highest risk for wildfires this summer.

With spring in swing and summer around the corner, the US’s lead emergency response agency has unveiled a map charting the places across the country at highest risk for wildfires.

The heat map by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) includes five colors, ranging from very low to very high wildfire risk.

FEMA compiled data to determine the wildfire risk index score representing each community’s risk compared to other parts of the US.

The agency also figured out the wildfire expected annual loss score for each community reflecting its expected population and building losses annually compared to the rest of the nation.

What causes a wildfire?

FEMA defines a wildfire as ‘an unplanned fire burning in natural or wildland areas such as forests, shrub lands, grasslands, or prairies’.

They can start from natural causes like lightning. However, most wildfires are sparked by humans both accidentally and intentionally, according to FEMA.

From 2001 to 2010, 85% of wildfires were caused by humans, stated the agency.

They can be deadly and beside threatening lives, can destroy homes and damage natural resources.

Where in the Us are wildfires most likely to occur?

FEMA’s wildfires map shows a clear divide down the middle of the country.

The west side of the US is coated in yellow, orange and red, which represent relatively moderate, relative high and very high wildfire risk, respectively. There are far more warm-colored areas that cool colors, which include light blue and dark blue, meaning relatively low and very low wildfire risk, respectively.

Meanwhile, the east side of the country is dominated by light blue, and some parts are dark blue. Yellow, orange and red marks cover Florida and the Gulf coasts of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, and up the East Coast through Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. There are also some yellows and oranges in Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia.

San Diego, California, is among the places at highest risk for wildfires, according to the map.

What is the largest wildfire in US history?

In early March, the Smokehouse Creek Fire in the Texas Panhandle that caused the US’s main nuclear weapons plant to be evacuated was declared one of the largest wildfires in American history. It quickly burned through an estimated 1.1million acres and became the biggest fire in the Lone Star State’s history.

Acre-wise, the largest blaze in US history happened during the 2004 Alaska fire season when more than 6.5million acres were scorched. It included 1.3million acres consumed by the Taylor Complex Fire. It was sparked by lighting, and no lives were lost.

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