How big is an acre? Wildfire sizes explained

ByKate G Eby KGO logo
Monday, November 12, 2018
Wildfire sizes explained
Wildfires are typically described with the number of acres burned, but how big is an acre? We explain

PARADISE, Calif. (KGO) -- Wildfires are typically described in terms of the number of acres burned. Mathematically, an acre is equal to 43,560 square feet.



MAPS: A look at the Camp Fire in Butte County and other California fires



That's approximately the size of a football field, minus the end zones.


For comparison, the City of San Francisco, at 46.87 square miles, is nearly 30,000 acres.



Yosemite National Park covers 761,266 acres.



PHOTOS: Camp Fire burns through Butte County, California


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In this aerial photograph, an evacuee encampment is seen at a Walmart parking lot in Chico, California on November 19, 2018.
Josh Edelson for the Washington Post


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