User:CostalCal/Guide

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an up-to-date guide made by User:CostalCal to help users navigate how to create or edit a wildfire-related article. There are two other guides that I suggest you check out (one was created just after I created this one), you may also want to check out an older guide on Wikipedia:WikiProject Wildfire/Guidelines. Although, the guide hasn't really been updated since January 2021. Thank you, User:Hurricane Wind and Fire for creating your own guide at User:Hurricane Wind and Fire/Wildfire article. I highly recommend you check it out.

Step 1: Finding The Article

If you create a Wikipedia article that is related to a single fire, it must have one or more of the following:

  • Burnt at least 1,000 acres (4.0 km2)
  • Caused fatalities or numerous injuries.
  • Caused destruction of a large number of structures.
  • Caused large and widespread evacuations.

Although it is HIGHLY suggested that you don't create a wildfire page unless it has at least two of these requirements.

Step 2: Finding Sources

For me, finding a source for a fire can be challenging. Although websites like Watch Duty (although it only works in the Western United States), Inciweb, or if it's in California you can use CalFire. It's nice that CalFire has been keeping track of all >10 acers (4.04 ha) since 2013. You can add a Growth and Containment progression table for daily status to your fire. You can use Park Fire#Growth and containment table as an example. For Watch Duty and Inciweb, older fire data has been deleted. Although, on Watch Duty, if you go to "layers," then to the drop-down "general," then press "fire perimeters" and turn on "historical." You can find perimeters for wildfires that have occurred in the past 5 years. You can't find specific acreage and containment data, although you can find historical wildfires. You could also use local sources that have data for the wildfires, like I used in 2025 Missouri wildfires. However, this can be a little fishy sometimes. In summary, this article must have sources for acreage and containment or some other notes.

Step 3: How To Start The Page

I suggest adding the article as a WP:Draft or in your sandbox. But an WP:Article is always ok if it's not going to be a WP:Stub. Remember, you're not in a rush to create this article.

Step 4: What To Add To The Page

I HIGHLY SUGGEST you add an infobox from Template:Infobox wildfire or THE PAGE MAY BE DELETED! The infobox must have acreage data and date(s) for the wildfires and a |partof=the Year States wildfires if there is a state wildfires page already. Or, if it's an active fire, you must have containment data. Adding an image or uploading an image would be perfect. If you can find other data like structures destroyed, injuries or deaths, cause of fire, or evacuation numbers. Please do so. Also, User:Phoenix7777 has fire maps for basically every wildfire in the United States since 2023. So, just add a WP:Map if you can find one from User:Phoenix7777/maplink#Wildfire.

Add some sort of summary, like, for example: The Lee Fire is an extremely large active wildfire burning near Meeker, Colorado that began on August 2, 2025. As of August 15, the fire had an active fire perimeter of 133,841 acres (54,164 ha) and is 12% contained. Or, add some sort of WP:Summary. Or, maybe add the fire's progression summary. If it is a wildfire since 2014. Add Template:Enter in Fire's year wildfires at the bottom of the page. Or, in most states in the Western United States, there is a Template:Enter in Fire's State wildfires page. I highly suggest you add more if you find more information.

If it's a seasonal wildfire page (page with a summary of all the wildfires in a certain area in a small time period), add all the data you can from wildfires with 1,000 acres and add it to a table. You can use 2025 California wildfires#List of wildfires as an example of the table you should use. If it's an active season, you should add a background, and if it's an inactive season, you should also add a summary. Use 2024 California wildfires#Summary and 2024 Wyoming wildfires#Background as examples.

Step 5: (Only For Some Situations) Submit For Article When Ready

If the draft is ready. Either submit the article as a WP:AFD submission. Or, you can move the draft to WP:Mainspace.

Step 6: (Optional) Update Fire Page!

If it's active, update fire information as new information comes out from the source you originally got your main information from, like, let's say, InciWeb. You should be aware and remind readers and users by adding the tag:

What YOU Can Do To Help!

It would be very helpful if you can do some of the work I assigned to myself in my sandbox. You are free to add work to the column if you want.

Examples of Good Wildfire Articles

You can play around at the WP:Content Assessment table for Wikipedia:WikiProject Wildfire here . However, here is a list of what a good wildfire article looks like and what a bad one looks like:

Related Articles

Wikiwand AI