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You’re not imagining it: extreme wildfires are now more common

For the first time, data show that cataclysmic infernos are increasing in frequency and intensity globally.
  1. Jeff Tollefson
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A firefighter silhouetted by a fiercely burning building during the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, November 2018

The Camp Fire blaze in 2018 was California’s most deadly and destructive wildfire ever. Credit: Noah Berger/AP Photo/Alamy

The frequency at which extreme fires occur around the world has more than doubled during the past two decades, according to an analysis of satellite data1. The trend is driven by the exponential growth of extreme fires across vast portions of Canada, the western United States and Russia, researchers say.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-02071-8

References

  1. Cunningham, C., Williamson, G. J. & Bowman, D. M. J. S. Nature Ecol. Evol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02452-2 (2024).

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  2. Iglesias, V., Balch, J. K. & Travis, W. R. Sci. Adv. 8, eabc0020 (2022).

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