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2000–01 fires in the Western United States
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Series of wildfires in the United States
May 2025
February 2025
2000–01 fires in the Western United States File:Deerfire high res.jpg Elk Bath, showing fire in Bitterroot National Forest USD $2 billion 6,966,995 acres km2 4 firefighters yes Western United States wildfires 2000
The 2000–2001 Western United States wildfires were a series of unusually severe wildfires that caused more than $2 billion (USD) in damageBillion Dollar Weather Disasters 1980 - 2008March 2019 InternetArchiveBot yes National Climatic Data Center. Accessed 2009-02-01. and resulted in the deaths of four firefighters.https://books.google.com/books?id=uD-THI2iaXQC The 2000-2002 Forest Fires in the Western United States By Katherine White 9780823944880 White Katherine 15 December 2003 The Rosen Publishing Group Overall, 6,966,995 acres burned across the United States and 2.2 million of those acres were in Idaho and Montana alone. A declaration of a state of emergency brought six military battalions and firefighting teams from as far away as Australia and New Zealand to the Western United States.http://depts.washington.edu/wildfire/resources/resources/awmapaper2.doc Air Sampling Study of the 2000 Montana Wildfire Season Ward Tony J. Smith Garon C. University of Montana Federal and state land management organizations recognize the fires as historic "both in extent and duration". The ten year fire season average is 3.1 million acres; the fires in 2000 destroyed more than double that acreage.http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/assessments/pdfs/firewxreport2.pdf Northern Idaho and Western Montana Summer 2000 Wildfires February 2001 U.S. Department of Commerce - NOAA Nearly $900 million (USD) was spent fighting fires. Long-lasting ecological damage, including flooding, top soil runoff, and air quality damage continues to this day.
The damage was particularly severe in the Bitterroot National Forest. One of the most stunning photos from these fires are two elk seeking shelter in the East Fork of the Bitterroot River. The photo became known as Elk Bath.
References
Lorch, Donatella, and Mark Matthews. "Flaming Fury." Newsweek 21 August 2000: 58-59.
Engelbett, Phillis. "Wildfire." Dangerous Planet The Science of Natural Disasters. Vol.3. Ed. Phillis Engelbert. Detroit: The Gale Group, 2001.
External links
Climate of 2000 - July Western U.S. Wildfires NOAA.
Northern Idaho and Western Montana Summer 2000 Wildfires (PDF) NOAA
A Report to the President In Response to the Wildfires of 2000 September 8, 2000 (PDF)
Category:Wildfires in Idaho
Category:Wildfires in Montana
Category:2000 wildfires in the United States
Category:2001 wildfires in the United States