Wildfires destroy 1.7m acres of land in first three months of 2024 – half of last year’s total

Wildfires across the United States have destroyed more than 1.7 million acres of land in the first three months of 2024, already more than half of last year’s total.

Three large, uncontained fires are currently burning in Alabama, Missouri and Florida, according to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), while wildland firefighters have managed to get 23 other large fires under control this week.

However, the number of acres burned is more than