June 2002 - UNITED STATES - Three years of drought, a tinder-dry Pike National Forest and high winds contributed to Colorado's largest wildfire since it became a state.

The blaze, known as the Hayman fire, burned through 137,760 acres in Park, Teller, Douglas and Jefferson counties and destroyed 133 homes.

Forest Service worker Terry Lynn Barton pleaded guilty to starting the blaze, which burned for nearly a month.

Dec 2002/Jan 2003 - AUSTRALIA - Fuelled by one of the worst droughts in a century, bushfires scarred a slice of Australia nearly three times the size of Britain -- or almost as big as the second largest US state, Texas.

Up to the end of December, 659,185 square km (254,500 sq miles) of bush, pine plantations, rainforest, desert scrub, tropical savannah and city suburbs burned.

The bushfires in Canberra in January were the worst in the capital's history. Four people killed and 530 homes destroyed.

Oct 2003 - UNITED STATES - Southern California fires killed 20 people, burned nearly 750,000 acres and destroyed about 3,400 homes before snow, rains and cold temperatures snuffed out most of the blazes. They are considered the worst in the state's modern history.

Aug 2005 - PORTUGAL - The biggest of five fires stretched over 21 km (13 miles) near Mirando do Corvo, a mountain town about 180 km (110 miles) north of the capital Lisbon.

Portugal says 337,000 acres of woodland has burned this year and at least 14 people have died, 10 of them firefighters.