2022 Nevada wildfires

2022 Nevada wildfires
The Goshute Fire on June 27
Statistics[1]
Total fires504
Total area58,405 acres (23,636 ha; 236.36 km2)

A series of wildfires burned throughout the U.S. state of Nevada during 2022.

Background

The typical fire season in Nevada lasts from May to October, the time when vegetation is the driest.[2] However, the timing varies every year based on a number of other factors, including if there is hot, dry weather, the amount of dry vegetation, and when there are more natural causes possible, such as lightning. The peak time of the season is also determined by these factors.[3] Historically, wildfire severity has increased due to large amounts of dry fuel, and acreage typically increases in drought-like and heavy precipitation years.[4]

Summary

Governor Steve Sisolak highlighted in his forecast in May Nevada was in its third consecutive year of drought. Even in late April, every county was under some level of drought. This resulted in the forecast of an exacerbated fire season.[5]

Spring and winter were extremely dry in the Great Basin, which prompted expectations of an early and severe fire season. However, some fuels in Southern Nevada were below average. An extremely early, wet monsoon reduced activity in Southern Nevada in late June. Overall, the monsoon produced between 120% and 200% of the normal rainfall, depending on the region. A large lightning event throughout Eastern Nevada, Western Utah, and Idaho. Conditions in late summer and early fall kept wildfires burning during that time.[1]

List of wildfires

The following is a list of fires that burned more than 1,000 acres (400 ha), or produced significant structural damage or casualties.

Name County Acres Start date Containment date[a][b] Notes Ref
Kinsley White Pine, Elko 3,209 June 17 June 23 Undetermined cause. Burned 60 miles (97 km) northeast of Ely. [7]
Goshute Elko 1,966 June 25 Lightning-caused. Burned 25 miles (40 km) south of West Wendover. [8][1]
Becky Peak White Pine 5,989 July 8 July 18 Human-caused. Burned 50 miles (80 km) north of Ely. [9]
Wildcat Elko 21,429 July 13 July 25 Undetermined cause. Burned near Wells. [10][1]
Dodge Springs Lincoln, Washington (UT) 5,644 July 22 July 30 Lightning-caused. Burned 25 miles (40 km) southeast of Caliente. [11][12]
Cherry Gulch Humboldt 15,859 August 26 Undetermined cause. Burned north of the Burning Man festival 8 miles (13 km) south of Denio. [13][1][14]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Containment means that fire crews have established and secured control lines around the fire's perimeter. These lines are artificial barriers, like trenches or cleared vegetation, designed to stop the fire's spread, or natural barriers like rivers. Containment reflects progress in managing the fire but does not necessarily mean the fire is starved of fuel, under control, or put out.[6]
  2. ^ If blank, no containment date was recorded

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Great Basin Fire Activity Report 2022" (PDF). gacc.nifc.gov. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  2. ^ "Wildland Fires". Clark County.gov. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  3. ^ "Drought and Fire in Nevada: Is fire risk higher during drought?". extension.unr.edu. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  4. ^ Stinnesbbeck, Jan. "Wildfires in Nevada: An overview" (PDF). www.leg.state.nv. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  5. ^ "Governor Sisolak convenes Nevada's 2022 Wildland Fire Briefing". dcnr.nv.gov. May 5, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  6. ^ "What containment and other wildfire related terms mean". Los Angeles: KCAL-TV. September 12, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  7. ^ "Kinsley Fire Information". InciWeb. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  8. ^ "Goshute Fire Information". InciWeb. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  9. ^ "Becky Peak Fire Information". InciWeb. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  10. ^ "Wildcat Fire in Elko County fully contained". KTVN. July 25, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  11. ^ "Dodge Springs Fire Information". InciWeb. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  12. ^ Richards, Jeff (August 2, 2022). "Fire that burned over 5K acres on Nevada-Utah state line nearing total containment, officials say". St. George News. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  13. ^ "Cherry Gulch Fire North of Burning Man Grows to 15,000+ acres". KTVN. August 29, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  14. ^ Dowd, Katie (August 27, 2022). "'Rather scary scene': Wildfire starts in Nevada north of Burning Man". SFGATE. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
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