PlainHazard

West Virginia wildfires

Every recorded wildfire record since 1996 · 15 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 32 wildfire records in West Virginia from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 3.3 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the March 11, 2014 wildfire in Kanawha County: 1 death and $31,000 in damage in 2025 dollars. West Virginia ranks 31st of 48 states and territories by count and 23rd of 48 per square mile.

Wildfires in West Virginia, 1996 to 2026

Wildfire records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $1 million
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
Records
321996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
3.3average
Deaths
21 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$101Kas filed
Busiest year
199912 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are wildfire records common in West Virginia?

West Virginia averages about 3.3 wildfire records a year since 2000, 31st of 48 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1999 (12). Per 10,000 square miles of land, West Virginia records 13 wildfire records since 1996, 23rd of 48 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. Hawaii 441
  2. 2. New Jersey 241
  3. 3. Puerto Rico 137
  4. 4. California 102
  5. 5. Florida 91
  6. 6. Oklahoma 88
  7. 7. Delaware 87
  8. 8. Washington 82
  9. 9. Oregon 77
  10. 10. Colorado 64
  11. 23. West Virginia 13

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in West Virginia have the most wildfire records?

Per square mile, Boone County leads West Virginia: 4 days with a wildfire record since 1996, 8.0 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Boone County has the most wildfire records (4 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

  1. Boone County 8.0 (4)
  2. Mingo County 7.1 (3)
  3. Logan County 6.6 (3)
  4. Wyoming County 6.0 (3)
  5. McDowell County 5.6 (3)
  6. Raleigh County 5.0 (3)
  7. Fayette County 4.5 (3)
  8. Kanawha County 3.3 (3)
  9. Clay County 2.9 (1)
  10. Lincoln County 2.3 (1)
  11. Roane County 2.1 (1)
  12. Wayne County 2.0 (1)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is fire season in West Virginia?

81% of its wildfire records since 1996 fell in October and November. The busiest month is November (26 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 0 · Feb 0 · Mar 3 · Apr 3 · May 0 · Jun 0 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 0 · Oct 0 · Nov 26 · Dec 0 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest wildfire records in West Virginia?

West Virginia: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2014-03-11 WildfireKanawha County · forecast zone Kanawha Afternoon temperatures reached into the 70 to 75 degree range along the lower Elk River Valley. Southwest winds were blowing at 10 to 15 mph. The relative humidity was around 25 percent. A 67 year old man near Clendenin was burning some debris near his home. The wind caused the fire to flare up. When firefighters ... 1 0 $31K
1999-11-09 WildfireCountywide, Mingo County A week after the last significant rains on the 2nd, a second round of Indian Summer weather boosted afternoon temperatures into the upper 60s to the upper 70s on the 9th. Brush fires increased across southern West Virginia. Most of the fires were set by arsonists. The West Virginia Division of Forestry estimated about ... 1 0 $5K

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

The costliest wildfire records in West Virginia

West Virginia: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2014-03-11 WildfireKanawha County · forecast zone Kanawha 1 0 $31K
1999-11-09 WildfireCountywide, Mingo County 1 0 $5K

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.

Are wildfire records becoming more frequent in West Virginia?

West Virginia's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

Wildfires: West Virginia and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeWest VirginiaUnited StatesWest Virginia's share
1996-99125102.4%
2000s152,9970.5%
2010s43,6500.1%
2020-2612,4360.0%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent wildfire records in West Virginia

The 3 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2014-04-21 WildfireRoane County · forecast zone Roane 0 1 –
2014-03-11 WildfireKanawha County · forecast zone Kanawha 1 0 $31K
1999-11-09 WildfireCountywide, Mingo County 1 0 $5K

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.

Federal disaster declarations for wildfire records in West Virginia

FEMA has declared 3 disasters in West Virginia for wildfire, counting its incident type and declarations that name fire in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); one was a major disaster, the latest on November 16, 2001.

The 12 most recent
DeclaredNumberTitleAreas named
2001-11-16FM-2392Wv - Trough and Smoke Hole Fire Complex - 11/16/20012
2001-11-16FM-2391Wv - Southeast Fire Complex - 11/16/200112
1996-08-14DR-1132Heavy Rains, High Winds, Flooding, and Slides10

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.

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