In light of the numerous and highly destructive wildfires that have scorched large areas of the western U.S., the New York Times has published an article noting that most of these events are triggered by a human, usually unintentionally. According to Lynne Tolmachoff, the chief of public education at Cal Fire, in California almost 95 percent of fires are started by people, and about 7 percent are caused by arson. The rest are mostly fires started by lightning or other acts of Mother Nature, such as wind taking down a power line. In the case of unintentional ignitions, large wildfires have been activated by sparks emitted by such innocuous-seeming activities as hammering in fence posts and operating a lawn-mower. Coupled with extremely dry conditions, these sparks ignite nearby vegetation and lead to fires that spread quickly. Given that so many wildfires are triggered accidentally, experts point to the need to educate the public on the dangers and volatility of forests, especially amidst dry conditions. “The key thing as fires starting is concerned, when you’re in these dry areas you can’t act like you’re in green vegetation,” said James McMullen, California’s former chief fire marshal. The New York Times.