Wikipedia:WikiProject Wildfire/Guidelines

Notability

Every fire is judged on a case by case basis to meet notability guidelines, specifically the guideline for events. Below is a list of criteria to consider. If a fire does not meet any of the below criteria, it is highly unlikely to be notable.

1. Fire exceeds 1,000 acres (4.0 km²)
2. Fire causes fatalities or numerous injuries
3. Fire causes destruction of a large number of structures.
4. Fire results in large and widespread evacuations.

Naming

Individual fires

• Articles should be titled with the name of the fire, such as Zaca Fire or Rim Fire (with Fire capitalized when it is part of a proper name, but not otherwise, per MOS:CAPS)
• In the event that multiple fires with the same name occur in different years, and one is not the primary topic, the main page should become a disambiguation page, with the year used as a parenthetical disambiguator for each of the topic articles.

• If only one fire by that name has a Wikipedia article, there is no need to include the year, If and when a page is created for the second fire, the page titles can be changed.
• So, for example, if there were two notable wildfires called Smokey Fire, one in 1995 and one in 2005, and neither is the primary topic, you would have 3 pages: Smokey Fire, which would be the disambiguation page, and Smokey Fire (1995) and Smokey Fire (2005), which would be articles about the individual fires.

• In the event of disputed spellings of fire names (for example Sherpa Fire vs Scherpa Fire), use the name most commonly used in a significant majority of reliable, English-language sources.

Season list

• Articles which are about a wildfire season should be named in the format "<year> <location> wildfires"

• Examples include 2015 Washington wildfires and 2014 California wildfires

Structure

Wildfire articles about specific fires should be structured largely along the following guidelines:

1. Infobox – Any article about a specific fire should use the {{Infobox wildfire}} template.
2. Events/Fire – At least few paragraphs about MAJOR events. This does not mean play-by-play updates on acreage.
3. Effects/Impacts – If there are notable, lasting effects of the fire, they should be discussed here.
4. Fatalities – In the event that fatalities occur during the fire, this section should be included.
5. Investigation – If a fire is determined to be arson and there is a well documented investigation, this section should be included

What NOT to include

Do not include the following on a page for specific wildfires:

1) Play by play updates

We do not need to list updated acreage every day in the article prose. Unless something major happens on a given day, there is no point in simply saying "On July 25th the fire was reported to be 123 acres (0.50 km²) and 5% contained."

2) List of cooperating agencies

Any wildfire large enough to be notable will have dozens of agencies assisting via mutual aid. There is no need to list out all these agencies. They can, however, be mentioned if appropriately notable. For example, if a large wildfire results in resources from out of state, or agencies from another country assisting, that is worth mentioning in the article. But again, they should not just be listed.

Season lists

Season articles should be created once there are several wildfires that are:

1. Over 1,000 acres (400 ha)
2. Destroyed many structures
3. Incurred fatalities or numerous injuries
4. Are otherwise notable as described by reliable sources

These fires should be documented in a "List of wildfires" section, such as at 2024 Colorado wildfires and include columns for the fire's Name, County/county equivalent, Size, Start date, Containment date, Notes, and References. Including "Fire" in the Name column is unnecessary; simply "Big Gulch" is preferred to "Big Gulch Fire" because it is obvious they are all wildfires.

Season articles should include background sections, describing a typical fire season in the state. Examples include the "Background" sections in 2024 California wildfires or 2025 New Mexico wildfires. A summary of the wildfire season should be added when the year is over. The summary should describe major events or factors contributing to the characteristics of the season, such as an unusually active season. An example can be found at 2025 Nevada wildfires.

Citations

Cite as much information as possible. This way the articles will have more credibility. Extraordinary claims require citations from very reliable sources. If you don't want something you have added to be deleted, cite a reliable source, assuming the source supports your statement. CALFIRE and InciWeb are some of the best sources when making articles. Because InciWeb information is regularly purged, please archive your sources to prevent link rot.