The most common human causes of wildfires in America (2022 vs 2023)

Wildfires in the U.S. are becoming more destructive, and it isn’t only the land that suffers — it’s the air. Fine particulates in the air rose by 55% and black carbon by 86% in the western U.S. between 2010 and 2020, adding 670 premature deaths per year to the toll, according to one study.

Did you know that humans caused nearly three-quarters (72.6%) of wildfires across America in 2023? This is according to data from the National Interagency Fire Center.

When analyzing this data, we found that the most common human cause of wildfires is debris and open burning, which is the case in 38.67% of human-caused fires — up from 33.53% in 2022.

‘Debris and open burning’ refers to yard fires, pest control and open trash burning, among other open fires. This category does not include campfires, which come under ‘recreation and ceremony.’

Read more at https://housefresh.com/american-wildfire-index/