About the Calendar Year 2003 Year-End Fire Report...

The following is an excerpt from the Idaho Department of Lands
Calendar Year 2003 Year-End Fire Report:

Season in Review

Even under the effects of a multiple year drought, the 2003 fire season was below average in terms of fire occurrence; however, acreage burned was up. On lands for which the Idaho Department of Lands, Clearwater-Potlatch Timber Protective Association and Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association provides wildland fire protection, fire fighters responded to 362 fires (87 percent of average). These fires burned 13,401 acres, which is 143 percent of average.

Quick response by dedicated teams of firefighters kept 94% of these fires below ten acres.

Human activity ignited 190 fires (52%) and accounted for 99% of the burned area, for 13,277 acres. Debris burning started the most person-caused fires, but equipment use burned the most area and was the most expensive category. Lightning started 172 fires (48% of the year's total) and burned 124 acres or 1% of the total ignitions.

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View and Print the 2003 Calendar Year-End Fire Report (PDF)