A data driven special
The story of scorched earth and ever
growing risks
Wildfires have become an increasingly visible and destructive force in recent years, capturing headlines from California to southern France. They test ecosystems and human resilience: are we ready for the next inferno?
Text: ChatGTP Photos: Pexels, Freepik
Wildfires behave differently depending on the terrain. In grasslands, flames can race ahead with the wind. In forests, they may creep along the ground before exploding into the treetops. Shrublands often ignite in sudden, intense bursts. The type of terrain of the landscape determines both the speed and the scale of the fire.
Temperatures within the flames can exceed 1,100°C, enough to destroy flora, fauna, and topsoil. In Los Angeles, for example, the combination of chaparral-covered hills and strong Santa Ana winds has historically created a perfect recipe for rapidly spreading fires.
Wildfires are uncontrolled fires that occur in natural landscapes. Unlike controlled burns, which are carefully managed by forestry services, wildfires spread unpredictably, consuming vegetation and even entire ecosystems.
an
Tracing the origins
How the flames ignite and spread across landscapes
Wildfires ignite through a combination of natural and human-induced causes, each contributing in different ways depending on region and season.
From spark to inferno
Wildfire
causes
Arson accounts for 5–10% of wildfires globally. Although less frequent than accidental fires, deliberately set fires can escalate rapidly under dry conditions.
Intentional acts
In many regions, human activity is the leading cause of wildfires. In California, estimates suggest that around 85–90% of fires are sparked by accidents, such as unattended campfires, discarded cigarettes, power line malfunctions, or agricultural burns that escape control.
Human accidents
Lightning strikes are among the primary natural triggers, accounting for roughly 10–15% of wildfires worldwide., while volcanic activity and decaying vegetation can also ignite flames. In remote regions, these blazes often spread for days before they’re detected.
Natural causes
The anatomy of a wildfire
Wildfires have distinct zones that interact in powerful ways.
Flames and heat shape the spread of the fire while smoke carries pollution and burning embers far beyond the front line.
Spread and swallow
Wildfires can quickly consume vast areas of land.
What starts as a small blaze can expand over kilometers in just a few days, swallowing forests, fields, and even towns in its path. Entire valleys can be transformed into blackened wastelands, and landscapes that once supported wildlife and communities are reduced to ash.
global temperature rise of 1.5 °C
Rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, and shifting rainfall patterns have extended fire seasons and increased fire intensity. In California, fire season now lasts months longer than in the 1970s, with the average annual area burned rising from roughly 70,000 acres to over 1.2 million acres by 2020. In the Mediterranean, hotter
summers have driven record-breaking fires in France, Spain, and Italy, with France experiencing extreme fire seasons in 2016, 2019, and 2023. At the same time, wildfires contribute to climate change, creating a feedback loop: the 2020 California fires alone released an estimated 112 million metric tons of CO₂, equivalent to the annual emissions of some mid-sized countries, which further warms the planet and increases future fire risk. Globally, what were once rare catastrophic fires are now becoming increasingly frequent and severe.
Rising heat, rising risk
Climate change has fundamentally altered wildfire dynamics worldwide, making fires more frequent, intense, and longer-lasting than ever before.
The correlation between average global temperatures, annual acres burned and number of wildfires over 50 years
Fighting wildfires is complex. Steep terrain, shifting winds, and limited access slow crews, while extreme heat can let flames jump firebreaks.
The fight to stop the flames
Containment and control
Water and fire retardants can help slow the flames, but their effect is temporary, and some wildfires can only be managed rather than fully extinguished until weather conditions change. In 2020, the U.S. Forest Service spent nearly $3 billion on wildfire suppression alone, underscoring both the immense scale of these fires and the enormous financial and logistical challenges involved in combating them.
The spendings of U.S. Forest Service
on wildfire suppression alone
Aerial support
Containing and extinguishing wildfires is a complex and dangerous task. Firefighting teams employ multiple approaches depending on the fire’s size, location, and behavior.
Strategies on the front line
Technological monitoring
Firefighters use hoses, bulldozers, and controlled backburns to create firebreaks and stop the flames from advancing. In densely forested areas, crews may spend days building containment lines to prevent further spread. Ground crews are often the first line of defense, risking exposure to extreme heat, smoke, and unpredictable fire behavior.
Ground-based suppression:
The aftermath
After the dust settles: what wildfires leave behind
Entire neighborhoods can be destroyed within hours, displacing families and disrupting communities. In Los Angeles, evacuation centers fill quickly as residents flee advancing firelines, while in southern France, villages lose homes, crops, and livelihoods in just days. The financial toll is immense: wildfires in the U.S. caused over $15 billion in damages in 2020 alone, with European countries facing similarly rising costs. Beyond money, the social impact is profound—air quality deteriorates, hospitals see more patients with respiratory issues, and schools and businesses are forced to close. Politically, wildfires pressure governments to rethink land use, emergency response, and climate policy.
When wildfires sweep through a region, the effects go far beyond the immediate flames.
“ The cost of a wildfire is measured not just in dollars but in lost habitats, displaced families and altered landscapes. ”
Wildfire costs by Country
The natural world suffers too. Fires destroy habitats, displace wildlife, and strip forests to bare soil, leaving ecosystems vulnerable for years. Repeated fires can permanently transform landscapes, turning forests into fire-prone shrublands and altering species composition. Smoke and pollutants spread for hundreds of miles, while soil erosion and disrupted
water cycles create long-term challenges for both nature and communities. Together, the human, political, and ecological consequences reveal the full scale of wildfire devastation.
While firefighting focuses on containing flames, the greater challenge lies in preventing wildfires before they ignite and preparing communities to withstand them.
Staying ahead of the flames
Reduce fuel loads and slow fire spread. In southern France, crews conduct winter burns to clear dry brush and limit summer fire risks.
Controlled burns, forest thinning, and firebreaks
Making homes more fire-resistant. After California’s 2018 Camp Fire, new rules required fireproof roofing and defensible space around houses.
Building codes and land planning
Help prevent human-caused ignitions and speed evacuations. In Los Angeles, campaigns and text alerts guide residents during high-risk days.
Community awareness and early-warning systems
Address the root causes of hotter, drier conditions, with long-term measures like the EU’s emission reduction targets helping limit future fire severity.
Climate action
Wildfires are more than natural disasters: they test how well we prepare, manage our landscapes and act on climate change. They show the fragility of ecosystems and communities, and the difference between destruction and resilience lies in how we respond, adapt and take action before the next fire begins.
Wildfires are more than natural disasters: they test how well we prepare, manage our landscapes and act on climate change. They show the fragility of ecosystems and communities, and the difference between destruction and resilience lies in how we respond, adapt and take action before the next fire begins.
Reduce fuel loads and slow fire spread. In southern France, crews conduct winter burns to clear dry brush and limit summer fire risks.
Controlled burns, forest thinning, and firebreaks
Making homes more fire-resistant. After California’s 2018 Camp Fire, new rules required fireproof roofing and defensible space around houses.
Building codes and land planning
Help prevent human-caused ignitions and speed evacuations. In Los Angeles, campaigns and text alerts guide residents during high-risk days.
Community awareness and early-warning systems
Address the root causes of hotter, drier conditions, with long-term measures like the EU’s emission reduction targets helping limit future fire severity.
Climate action
While firefighting focuses on containing flames, the greater challenge lies in preventing wildfires before they ignite and preparing communities to withstand them.
Staying ahead of the flames
The natural world suffers too. Fires destroy habitats, displace wildlife, and strip forests to bare soil, leaving ecosystems vulnerable for years. Repeated fires can permanently transform landscapes, turning forests into fire-prone shrublands and altering species composition. Smoke and pollutants spread for hundreds of miles, while soil erosion and disrupted
water cycles create long-term challenges for both nature and communities. Together, the human, political, and ecological consequences reveal the full scale of wildfire devastation.
Wildfire costs by Country
“ The cost of a wildfire is measured not just in dollars but in lost habitats, displaced families and altered landscapes. ”
The aftermath
After the dust settles: what wildfires leave behind
Entire neighborhoods can be destroyed within hours, displacing families and disrupting communities. In Los Angeles, evacuation centers fill quickly as residents flee advancing firelines, while in southern France, villages lose homes, crops, and livelihoods in just days. The financial toll is immense: wildfires in the U.S. caused over $15 billion in damages in 2020 alone, with European countries facing similarly rising costs. Beyond money, the social impact is profound—air quality deteriorates, hospitals see more patients with respiratory issues, and schools and businesses are forced to close. Politically, wildfires pressure governments to rethink land use, emergency response, and climate policy.
When wildfires sweep through a region, the effects go far beyond the immediate flames.
Firefighters use hoses, bulldozers, and controlled backburns to create firebreaks and stop the flames from advancing. In densely forested areas, crews may spend days building containment lines to prevent further spread. Ground crews are often the first line of defense, risking exposure to extreme heat, smoke, and unpredictable fire behavior.
Ground-based suppression:
Technological monitoring
Advances in satellite imaging, drones, and AI-based fire modeling allow early detection and more precise risk assessment. Predictive models can help authorities allocate resources efficiently and alert communities at risk.
Aerial support
In difficult-to-access terrain, helicopters and fixed-wing planes drop water or fire retardant to slow fires. This method was critical during the 2023 wildfires in southern France, where steep slopes and narrow valleys made ground access nearly impossible.
Containing and extinguishing wildfires is a complex and dangerous task. Firefighting teams employ multiple approaches depending on the fire’s size, location, and behavior.
Strategies on the front line
The spendings of U.S. Forest Service on wildfire suppression alone
The correlation between average global temperatures, annual acres burned and number of wildfires over 50 years
global temperature rise of 1.5 °C
Rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, and shifting rainfall patterns have extended fire seasons and increased fire intensity. In California, fire season now lasts months longer than in the 1970s, with the average annual area burned rising from roughly 70,000 acres to over 1.2 million acres by 2020. In the Mediterranean, hotter
summers have driven record-breaking fires in France, Spain, and Italy, with France experiencing extreme fire seasons in 2016, 2019, and 2023. At the same time, wildfires contribute to climate change, creating a feedback loop: the 2020 California fires alone released an estimated 112 million metric tons of CO₂, equivalent to the annual emissions of some mid-sized countries, which further warms the planet and increases future fire risk. Globally, what were once rare catastrophic fires are now becoming increasingly frequent and severe.
Rising heat, rising risk
Climate change has fundamentally altered wildfire dynamics worldwide, making fires more frequent, intense, and longer-lasting than ever before.
Arson accounts for 5–10% of wildfires globally. Although less frequent than accidental fires, deliberately set fires can escalate rapidly under dry conditions.
Intentional acts
In many regions, human activity is the leading cause of wildfires. In California, estimates suggest that around 85–90% of fires are sparked by accidents, such as unattended campfires, discarded cigarettes, power line malfunctions, or agricultural burns that escape control.
Human accidents
Lightning strikes are among the primary natural triggers, accounting for roughly 10–15% of wildfires worldwide., while volcanic activity and decaying vegetation can also ignite flames. In remote regions, these blazes often spread for days before they’re detected.
Natural causes
Wildfire
causes
Wildfires ignite through a combination of natural and human-induced causes, each contributing in different ways depending on region and season.
From spark to inferno
Spread and swallow
Wildfires can quickly consume vast areas of land.
What starts as a small blaze can expand over kilometers in just a few days, swallowing forests, fields, and even towns in its path. Entire valleys can be transformed into blackened wastelands, and landscapes that once supported wildlife and communities are reduced to ash.
The anatomy of a wildfire
Wildfires have distinct zones that interact in powerful ways.
Flames and heat shape the spread of the fire while smoke carries pollution and burning embers far beyond the front line.
Fighting wildfires is complex. Steep terrain, shifting winds, and limited access slow crews, while extreme heat can let flames jump firebreaks.
The fight to stop the flames
Containment and control
Water and fire retardants can help slow the flames, but their effect is temporary, and some wildfires can only be managed rather than fully extinguished until weather conditions change. In 2020, the U.S. Forest Service spent nearly $3 billion on wildfire suppression alone, underscoring both the immense scale of these fires and the enormous financial and logistical challenges involved in combating them.
Wildfires are uncontrolled fires that occur in natural landscapes. Unlike controlled burns, which are carefully managed by forestry services, wildfires spread unpredictably, consuming vegetation and even entire ecosystems.
Wildfires behave differently depending on the terrain. In grasslands, flames can race ahead with the wind. In forests, they may creep along the ground before exploding into the treetops. Shrublands often ignite in sudden, intense bursts. The type of terrain of the landscape determines both the speed and the scale of the fire.
Temperatures within the flames can exceed 1,100°C, enough to destroy flora, fauna, and topsoil. In Los Angeles, for example, the combination of chaparral-covered hills and strong Santa Ana winds has historically created a perfect recipe for rapidly spreading fires.
Tracing the origins
How the flames ignite and spread across landscapes
The story of scorched earth and ever
growing risks
Wildfires have become an increasingly visible and destructive force in recent years, capturing headlines from California to southern France. They test ecosystems and human resilience: are we ready for the next inferno?
Text: ChatGTP Photos: Pexels, Freepik
A data driven special
