Study: 200 Percent Increase in Structures Destroyed by Wildfires over the Last Three Decades

The Conversation has written an article covering a new study by researchers from the University of Montana and the University of Colorado Boulder that found “a 246 [percent] increase in the number of homes and structures destroyed by wildfires in the contiguous Western U.S. between the past two decades, 1999-2009 and 2010-2020.” There are multiple drivers behind this increase, such as the fact that more intense wildfires are burning larger areas and more homes are being built in wildfire-prone regions. However, the authors state the main reason for this increase is that there are more fires ignited by human activity occurring. These fires are much more destructive on average, as they appear closer to buildings, tend to be fueled by grasses that burn easily, and can happen outside the natural fire season. Read more at The Conversation.