Western wildfires destroyed 246% more homes and buildings over the past decade – fire scientists explain what’s changing
Climate Signals Summary: As human-caused climate change due to the burning of fossil fuel continues, there has been a notable increase in wildfire risk and the number of homes and structures destroyed by wildfires.
Article Excerpt:
In a new study, we found a 246% 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.
Surprisingly, it’s not just the trend of burning more area, or simply more homes being built where fires historically burned. While those trends play a role, increasing home and structure loss is outpacing both.
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