Biscuit Fire

The Biscuit Fire was a massive wildfire in 2002 that burned nearly 500,000 acres (780 sq mi; 2,000 km2) in the Rogue River–Siskiyou National Forest, in southern Oregon and northern California, in the Western United States. The fire was named after Biscuit Creek in southern Oregon. The Biscuit Fire was the second-largest wildfire in the modern post-1900 history of Oregon. Oregon's largest fires are actually believed to have taken place in the 1800s. The Silverton Fire of 1865 is listed as Oregon's largest at over 900,000 acres. The Biscuit Fire area is subject to warm, dry winds known as the Brookings effect (also known as Chetco effect), driven by high pressure over the Great Basin. The fire re-burned portions of the 1987 Silver Fire, and much of its area was re-burned in the 2017 Chetco Bar Fire.

Biscuit Fire
NASA satellite image of the Biscuit Fire, on August 12, 2002
Date(s)
  • July 12, 2002 (2002-07-12)
  • December 31, 2002 (2002-12-31)
LocationSiskiyou National Forest, Oregon and California, USA
Coordinates42.05°N 123.883333°W / 42.05; -123.883333
Statistics
Burned area500,000 acres (2,000 km2)
  • 28,772 acres (116.44 km2) in California
  • 471,228 acres (1,906.99 km2) in Oregon
Land useMixed, residential and wildlands
Impacts
DeathsNone
Non-fatal injuriesUnknown
DamageMillions of dollars
Ignition
CauseLightning
Map
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