More than 7.5 million acres in the United States were burned by 66,255 wildfires in 2022, according to the NOAA. These numbers are not far off the 2001-2020 average of about 7 million acres burned and 68,707 wildfires, and the current record for most acres burned by wildfires is still held by 2020, in which more than 10.2 million acres burned. In 2022, these wildfires caused an estimated $3.2 billion of damage to property in the U.S. and killed 17 people. If you find yourself in the midst of a wildfire emergency, the Department of Homeland Security recommends the following:
- Pay attention to any emergency alerts you receive, as they may contain important information and instructions.
- Evacuate immediately if ordered to by authorities.
- It may be difficult for emergency personnel to respond quickly (or at all), but you should still call 9-1-1 and provide your location if you find yourself trapped. Turn on lights around the home to help rescuers locate you.
- Use an N95 mask to prevent smoke inhalation, if possible.
Related:
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader
Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Brittney Meredith-Miller
Brittney Meredith-Miller is assistant editor of PropertyCasualty360.com. She can be reached at [email protected].
