Fires
Known as the Smokehouse Creek Fire, the largest blaze expanded to more than 1,300 square miles (3,370 square kilometers) [in Texas] and jumped into parts of neighboring Oklahoma. It is now larger than the state of Rhode Island, and the Texas A&M Forest Service said the flames were only about 3% contained.
—Associated Press, "Wildfire grows into one of largest in Texas history as flames menace multiple small towns," by Jim Vertuno and Sean Murphy, February 28, 2024.
The monstrous [Bootleg] wildfire burning in Oregon has grown to one-third the size of Rhode Island and spreads miles each day, but evacuations and property losses have been minimal compared to much smaller blazes in densely populated areas of California.
—Associated Press, "Size of Oregon Wildfire Underscores Vastness of the US West," by Gillian Flaccus, July 19, 2021. Submitted by Anne D.
A series of wildfires burning an area larger than the state of Rhode Island have depleted California's firefighting resources and triggered requests for help from across the West, the East Coast, and even as far as Australia.
—L.A. Times, "Bay Area fires rank in the top 5 in California history," By Joseph Serna, Susanne Rust, Anita Chabria, Rong-Gong Lin II, August 21, 2020.
A vast wildfire, measuring half the size of the state of Rhode Island and described as the second worst fire in Arizona history, continues to surge across eastern Arizona. The Wallow Fire has destroyed approximately 337,000 acres and threatens main electrical lines that supply power as far away as west Texas.
—boston.com, "The Big Picture: Arizona wildfire rages on", by Paula Nelson, June 9, 2011. Submitted by David G.
The Possum Kingdom fire is the fifth of at least 100,000 acres around Texas reported in the past two weeks. Most of the state is in extreme drought, and wildfires in the past week alone have burned more than 1,000 square miles of parched Texas ranchland—an area that combined would be the size of Rhode Island.
—Associated Press, "Texas wildfire grows amid hot, windy weather," April 19, 2011. Submitted by Mike Z.
Up to 455,000 acres were laid waste between Friday and Monday alone—10 times the annual average for the past 50 years, according to the European Commission's European Forest Fire Information System. A total 665,000 acres—an area almost the size of Rhode Island—went up in smoke since the start of the year.
—Associated Press, "Forests, wildlife wiped out by Greek fires," August 29, 2007. Submitted by Amelia, Providence.
State and federal officials were still surveying the damage from California's worst wildfires, which killed 20 people, leveled 3,500 homes and blackened 743,621 acres, nearly the size of Rhode Island.
—New York Times, "California Says Fires Are Finally Contained," by John M. Broder, November 4, 2003.
More than 500,000 acres of brush, forest and homes—or about 800 square miles, roughly three-quarters the total area of Rhode Island—had burned in California.
—Associated Press, "California Fires Kill 15, Threaten Valley," by Brian Skoloff, October 28, 2003.
The blazes had charred more than 330,000 acres, or 500 square miles—almost half the size of the state of Rhode Island—of dense, dry brush and trees.
—Associated Press, "Deadly Calif. Fires Threaten 30,000 Homes," by Seth Hettena, October 27, 2003.
Dunham said the smoke was caused by a fire east of James Bay in northern Quebec that consumed more than 350 square miles of forest. That's about one-third the size of Rhode Island, Dunham said, utilizing the Rhode Island-sized unit of measure typically implemented in references to ranches and icebergs.
—Providence Journal, "Smoke screens out the sun," by Peter B. Lord, July 8, 2002.
In what is by far the worst fire season on record in this arid state, some 1.6 million acres of northern Nevada burned this summer, an area twice the size of Rhode Island.
—The Commercial Appeal, "Wildfires Devastate Nevada Ranchers," October 25, 1999.