The Associated Press says 1.2 million acres of grassland fires in Texas in 2024 is larger than a ten million acre forest fire in 1903.
“STINNETT, Texas (AP) — Wildfires may have destroyed as many as 500 structures in the Texas Panhandle, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday, describing how the largest blaze in state history scorched everything in its path, leaving ashes in its wake.
Texas officials warned that the threat was not yet over. Higher temperatures and stronger winds forecast for Saturday elevated worries that fires in the Panhandle could spread beyond the more than 1,700 square miles (4,400 square kilometers) already chewed up this week by fast-moving flames.”
Gov. Abbott says Texas wildfires may have destroyed up to 500 structures | AP News
TimesMachine: November 22, 1903 – NYTimes.com
National Fire News | National Interagency Fire Center
The 1903 Fire came a few weeks after large scale flooding in the eastern US
14 Oct 1903 – FLOODS IN AMERICA. – Trove
Weather Underground has taken the big lie even further.
“Texas Wildfire Now Second-Largest In U.S. History”
Cheyenne, WY 10-Day Weather Forecast | Weather Underground
During February 1898 three million acres burned in South Carolina and there were much larger fires in Colorado later in the year.
This week in 1898, the United States, Australia and New Zealand were all experiencing massive forest fires. Three million acres of the Carolinas burned in just a few hours – in the middle of winter. Later that year the northwest quadrant of Colorado was on fire.
12 Feb 1898 – TERRIBLE BUSH FIRES. – Trove
12 Feb 1898 – NEW ZEALAND. – Trove
12 Feb 1898 – THE TASMANIAN BUSH FIRES. – Trove
12 Feb 1898 – A SCHOONER WRECKED. FLOOD AND FIRE. – Trove
12 Feb 1898 – HEAVY RAINS. – Trove
12 Feb 1898 – MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS. – Trove
Broken Hill Climate, Weather By Month, Average Temperature (Australia) – Weather Spark
12 Feb 1898 – VICTORIAN FIRES. – Trove
12 Feb 1898 – TASMANIAN BUSH FIRES. – Trove
11 Feb 1898 – NEW ZEALAND. – Trove
San Francisco Call 27 August 1898 — California Digital Newspaper Collection
25 Aug 1898 – FOREST FIRE IN FRANCE. – Trove
San Francisco Call 27 April 1898 — California Digital Newspaper Collection
03 Oct 1898 – FOREST FIRES IN AMERICA. – Trove
Los Angeles Herald 14 August 1898 — California Digital Newspaper Collection
08 Feb 1898 – THE FIRE FIEND. – Trove
San Francisco Call 27 April 1898 — California Digital Newspaper Collection
The Aspen Daily Times June 30, 1898 — Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection
Los Angeles Herald 23 July 1898 — California Digital Newspaper Collection
Los Angeles Herald 31 July 1898 — California Digital Newspaper Collection
Wildland Fire: History Timeline | U.S. National Park Service
22 Feb 1898, Page 3 – The Semi-Weekly Messenger at Newspapers.com
The massive fires of 1898 burned well into November, making the fire season at least nine months long.
“Reports from the western portion of Colorado continue to tell of the ravages of the forest fires which bid fair to devastate the greater part of the forests of the state.”
The Colorado Daily Chieftain October 1, 1898 — Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection
Fort Collins Courier October 6, 1898 — Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection
Herald Democrat October 2, 1898 — Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection
TimesMachine: September 30, 1898 – NYTimes.com
TimesMachine: October 3, 1898 – NYTimes.com
The Colorado Transcript November 9, 1898 — Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection
Oregon recorded their record temperature of 119F twice during the summer of 1898. This years’s “record” heatwave topped out at 118F.
What is the hottest temperature ever recorded? | kgw.com
San Francisco Call 9 November 1898 — California Digital Newspaper Collection
Because I worked with 2 guys from there, don’t forget the The Great Hinckley Fire, which occurred on September 1, 1894 in Minnesota, burned over 300 square miles, including the town of Hinckley. The estimated death toll was 418.
Still on the list of Major American Fires:
The primary audience of this guide is fire fighters and emergency responders
https://library.massasoit.edu/americanfires/hickley