As of Thursday, the Carlton Complex Wildfire in Washington hasconsumed over a quarter million acres, or an area roughly fourtimes the size of Seattle. At least 200 homes have been burned andanother 1,200 have been evacuated in 12 towns. Over 1,600firefighters are working around the clock and, at last reports, thefire was 16% contained.

But, big as it is, the Carlton Complex fire isn't all that hugeby historical standards.

To put this fire into perspective, here is an overview of someof the largest wildfires to impact North America over the last 150years.

The Miramichi Fire – New Brunswick andMaine

Surprisingly, some of the largest wildfires in history occurredmore than 150 years ago when technology was non-existent and mostbuildings were made of wood and stone.

The Miramichi/Maine fire of 1825 was by far one of the mostdevastating, consuming more than 3 million acres and killing 160people (although some reports put that number closer to 300).Located in the Canadian province of New Brunswick, Miramichi hadexperienced a particularly dry summer that year. While the cause ofthe fire is unknown, its devastation is well recorded with reportsof the fire traveling at nearly 60 miles per hour across thewilderness in Miramichi and a portion of Maine along the MiramichiRiver. It left more than 15,000 people homeless, burning theircrops and seeds for the next year's planting season. Many more diedbecause of exposure to the elements and a lack of food.

The Peshtigo Fire – Wisconsin and Michigan

Starting on October 8, 1871, the Peshtigo Fire burned over 3.7million acres in Wisconsin and Michigan, killing an estimated 1,200to 1,500 people and is remembered as the deadliest wildfire inmodern history. Eight hundred people, or half of the town ofPeshtigo's population, perished in the fire. Some survivors tell ofjumping into rivers to escape the flames, but many who jumped intothe Peshtigo River were boiled to death because of the severity andsize of the fire.

It was far more devastating than the Great Chicago Fire, whichoccurred on the same day, with 250 lives lost and 17,400 structuresdestroyed. The Great Chicago Fire remains the most destructivemetropolitan fire in North America with more than $200,000,000 inproperty damage.

The Thumb Fire – Michigan

Ten years after the Peshtigo Fire, Michigan was devastated againby the Lower Michigan or Thumb Fire in September 1881. Withsettlers pouring into the area, more people were affected by thefire and left homeless. Over 2.5 million acres and more than 3,000structures were burned. A reported 169 to 282 lives were lost inthe fire. This marked the first time the American Red Crossresponded in the aftermath of a fire, shipping food and supplies tothe more than 14,000 residents displaced by the fire.

South Carolina Fires

In February 1898, a series of fires swept across South Carolina,charring 3 million acres of forest land and resulting in 14unconfirmed deaths. Homes and sawmills were among the structuresburned.

The Big Burn – Idaho

Over 3 million acres were consumed by the Great Idaho Fire as ittraveled across Northern Idaho and western Montana on August 20-21,1910. Hurricane-force winds blew hundreds of small fires intoseveral large blazes. Eighty-five lives were lost; 78 fire-fighters(including a 28-man fire-fighting crew outside of Avery, Idaho) andseven residents. This would be the largest number of fire-fighterskilled in a single event until the September 11 attacks in New YorkCity.

AP Photo/National Park Service/File

Yellowstone Fires – Wyoming, Montana andIdaho

Yellowstone National Park encompasses 3,468 miles (2,221,800acres) and during the summer of 1988, forest fires scorched 36% ofthe park. For the first time in its history, the park was closed asthousands of fire-fighters fought the various blazes. Old Faithful,the famous geyser, was almost destroyed. Fire-fighting effortswould exceed $240 million. The fires were finally extinguished withthe September snowfalls.

Taylor Complex – Alaska

The Taylor Complex fire in 2004 would be part of Alaska'srecord-breaking wildfire season, when more than 6 million acresburned. Started by lightning, the Taylor fire burned more than 1.3million acres.

Sources: National Interagency Fire Center, Fire HistorySociety, Michigan State University