Wildfires have significantly impacted various regions globally, claiming numerous lives and causing substantial economic damage. For instance, in 2023, central Chile experienced wildfires that resulted in 133 fatalities, while California faced devastation with 18,000 buildings destroyed in 2018, incurring damages estimated at $16 billion. Countries such as Portugal, Greece, Algeria, and Australia have similarly faced the severe consequences of wildfires in recent years.
A recent study indicates that the frequency of “societally disastrous” wildfires—those with considerable economic and human costs—has escalated in line with rising global temperatures linked to climate change. Lead researcher Dr. Calum Cunningham from the University of Tasmania noted significant trends when analyzing the 200 costliest fires from 1980 to 2023. Alarmingly, 43% of these fires occurred in the last decade, with half of the billion-dollar fires happening during that same timeframe. Furthermore, the incidence of fires causing ten or more deaths has tripled, even as the population increased only marginally.
The study emphasizes the worsening fire-promoting weather conditions, attributing them to climate change. Notably, half of the wildfires occurred under the worst 0.1% of recorded fire danger conditions. Despite increasing federal expenditures on fire suppression—more than tripling from 1985 to 2022—the situation appears to be deteriorating.
Areas deemed at high risk for fires, particularly near populated regions, represent about 10% of the Earth’s land surface. This includes locations recently affected, such as Los Angeles and Valparaíso, which indicate that prediction methods used in the study could effectively identify at-risk areas.
Dr. Hamish Clarke, a climate change fire expert not involved in the research, recognized the study’s contributions to understanding trends in economically and socially damaging fires while indicating the challenges that lie ahead.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/02/earths-wildfires-growing-in-number