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10 largest fires in Yosemite history — Rim Fire makes list (maps)
Firefighters from Cosumnes Fire Department monitor a back fire while battling the Rim Fire on August 22, 2013 in Groveland, California.
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As of Monday morning, the Rim Fire had consumed about 150,000 acres, making it one of the worst fires in California history. It's also shaping up to be one of the worst ever seen in Yosemite National Park.
An analysis from the National Park Service in 2011 shows the 1996 Ackerson Fire, which ravaged about 60,000 acres, was Yosemite's largest recorded fire between 1930 and 2010. The next largest was the A-rock Fire, which burned 17,770 acres in 1990.
RELATED: Rim Fire: Massive wildfire near Yosemite one of California's worst at 149,780 acres (map)
But as park spokesman Tom Medema tells the Sacramento Bee, the Rim Fire has already burned about 15,000 acres of Yosemite National Park, much of it the same area that was burned in the Ackerson fire.
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Our own analysis of the geographic data being provided by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection indicates the Yosemite burn area might be closer to 20,000 acres. Either way, the Rim Fire is now at least third on the list of the top 10 largest fires recorded at the park.
You can see those fires listed below, from largest to smallest, along with acreage and the year each started.
1. Ackerson Fire
Acres burned: 59,153 | Date Started: 8/14/1996
View 1. Ackerson Fire in a larger map
2. A-rock Fire
Acres burned: 17,770 | Date started: 8/7/1990
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View 2. A-rock Fire in a larger map
3. Rancheria Mt. Fire
Acres burned: 12,116 | Date started: 9/9/1948
View 3. Rancheria Mt. Fire in a larger map
4. Leconte Fire
Acres burned: 8,860 | Date started: 8/11/1999
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View 4. Leconte Fire in a larger map
5. Big Meadow Fire
Acres burned: 7,558 | Date atarted: 8/26/2009
View 5. Big Meadow Fire in a larger map
6. Hoover Fire
Acres burned: 7,233 | Date started: 7/10/2001
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View 6. Hoover Fire in a larger map
7. Steamboat Fire
Acres burned: 6,106 | Date started: 8/7/1990
View 7. Steamboat Fire in a larger map
8. Frog Fire
Acres burned: 6,031 | Date started: 7/21/2006
View 8. Frog Fire in a larger map
9. Kibbie Complex Fire
Acres burned: 5,574 | Date started: 7/29/2003
View 9. Kibbie Complex Fire in a larger map
10. Unnamed Fire (identified as "PW27")
Acres burned: 5,126 | Date started: 9/27/1978
View 10. Unnamed Fire in a larger map
And for comparison, here's the Rim fire perimeter:
View Rim Fire in a larger map | Last updated 8/26/13
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