California experienced its five worst wildfires on record in August and September 2020, destroying an area of 2.4 million acres. Human activity causes 90% of all fires, and the US loses 1.2 million acres of forest to fires each year.
Whatever your view on climate change, there are some statistics that are hard to dispute. For example, in August and September 2020, California experienced five of its six worst wildfires on record, including an August wildfire that burned nearly 850,000 acres, nearly double the amount destroyed in the second worst wildfire, which occurred in 2018.
Together, the five fires in 2020 destroyed an area of 2.4 million acres, or more than three times the size of Rhode Island. Since logging began in 1932, California has seen a steady increase in both summer heat and wildfire destruction.
August 2020 was the hottest August on record, and an unusual wave of thunderstorms sparked the devastating wildfires that lingered into September. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, only four of the state’s largest forest fires occurred before 1990, and the ten worst fires all occurred after 10.
A word on the fires:
According to the National Park Service, nearly 90 percent of all fires are caused by human activity.
On average, the United States loses 1.2 million acres of forest to fires each year.
Approximately 4.5 million homes in the United States are considered to be at serious fire risk; 2 million of those homes are in California.
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