These are the country's five largest burning wildfires and what we know about them

As wildfire seasons in many areas throughout the nation start earlier and last longer, 2021 is on track to be another devastating year for fires. 

As of Friday, there are a total of 83 large wildfires currently burning in the U.S., which have already destroyed a total of 1,366,587 acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.  With the help from unprecedented heat waves and drought, new fires are rapidly igniting, sometimes quicker than they can be contained. The fires, which have predominantly affected the western region of the country, have created nationwide air pollution and resulted in thousands of evacuations.