"U.S. Wildfires Burned Record Area In 2015: Agriculture Department"

"U.S. wildfires burned a record 10.1 million acres (4.09 million hectares) in 2015 and the Forest Service spent 52 percent of its budget fighting fires, the Agriculture Department said on Wednesday.

The states of Alaska, California, Oregon and Washington were especially hard hit. The 2015 fires included more than 20 that topped 100,000 acres (40,500 hectares), the department said in a statement.

The area burned last year broke the 2006 record of 9.9 million acres (4 million hectares). The 2015 fires destroyed more than 4,500 homes and other structures and killed 13 firefighters, it said."

Ian Simpson reports for Reuters January 6, 2016.