Growing Wildfires
The science connecting wildfires to climate change - National Geographic
A heating-up planet has driven huge increases in wildfire area burned over the past few decades.
Climate change has inexorably stacked the deck in favor of bigger and more intense fires across the American West over the past few decades, science has incontrovertibly shown. Increasing heat, changing rain and snow patterns, shifts in plant communities, and other climate-related changes have vastly increased the likelihood that fires will start more often and burn more intensely and widely than they have in the past.
The scale and intensity of the wildfires burning across the western U.S. right now is “staggering,” says Philip Higuera, a wildfire scientist and paleoecologist at the University of Montana. More than five million acres have already burned this year—and much more may be yet to come.
In all, the western fire season has extended by at least 84 days since the 1970s. Cal Fire, California’s fire protection service, has said publicly that it no longer considers there to be a wildfire “season,” because the season is now the entire year.
The very character of the fires has also changed, growing larger and more intense, and that in turn can accelerate future fire risk. Even plants that need fire to propagate, like many high-elevation conifers, are now often finding themselves in fires more intense and powerful than they’re adapted for, says Scott Stephens, a forest ecologist and fire expert at the University of California, Berkeley.
"Significant impact on human populations" means our pets and wildlife are at risk too.
In many areas of the United States and Canada, every year brings the risk of wildfires, especially between August and November. The 2020 season was a record-setting one for the state of California and the United States as a whole. NIFC reported that as of Nov. 27 there were 52,113 wildfires that had burned 8,889,297 acres in 2020. This is approximately 2.3 million more acres burned than the 10-year average and almost double the acreage burned in the 2019 season.
While large fires burned in many states, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) provided details only on fires that had significant impact on human populations and/or were over 50,000 acres in size.
Source: Disaster Philanthropy Org.
Wildfire Smoke and Animals - AVMA
As irritating as smoke can be to people, it can cause health problems for animals as well. Smoke from wildfires and other large blazes affects pets, horses, livestock and wildlife.
If any of your animals are experiencing any of these signs, please consult your veterinarian.
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Coughing or gagging
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Difficulty breathing, including open mouth breathing and increased noise when breathing
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Eye irritation and excessive watering
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Inflammation of throat or mouth
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Nasal discharge
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Asthma-like symptoms
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Increased breathing rate
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Fatigue or weakness
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Disorientation or stumbling
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Reduced appetite and/or thirst
Source: AVMA.org https://www.avma.org/resources/pet-owners/emergencycare/wildfire-smoke-and-animals
A summary of all 2020 incidents, including those managed by Cal Fire and other partner agencies.
4,257,863 Acres
Estimated Acres Burned
9,917 Incidents
Number of Incidents
33 Fatalities
Confirmed Loss of Life
10,488 Structures
Structures Damaged or Destroyed
2019 Incident Archive
A summary of all 2019 wildfires, including those managed by CAL FIRE and other partner agencies.
2018 Incident Archive
A summary of all 2018 incidents, including those managed by CAL FIRE and other partner agencies.