Wildfire Season Made Worse in Western US By ‘Significant Increase’ in Human-Caused Fires

People appear to be causing more wildfires across Oregon and Washington state, according to new data released Monday.

A total of 197 human-caused fires have occurred across both states since June 1, according to numbers released by the U.S. Forest Service. Last year saw 409 and another 494 occurred in 2021.

“The reasons behind this increase are unknown, but human-caused fires are preventable,” the agency told The Seattle Times.

A study published in 2022 found that human-started wildfires often cause more damage and spread faster than those caused by lightning, for example.

This is because the activities, such as starting campfires, occur during extreme weather conditions, researchers found.

Seattle Fire Department currently has a Stage 2 Burn Ban in effect, meaning residents cannot use backyard fire pits or make a campfire with chopped firewood or charcoal.

Since Memorial Day, the department has dealt with 450 bark and crush fires across the city. Firefighters have the power to extinguish any illegal fire while the ban is in effect.

Across the United States, 98 wildfires have burned over 650,000 acres of land across 15 states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Fires have burned in Florida, Idaho and Texas, as well as those in Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest.

Last week, Washington was dealing with fires that killed at least one person and threatened homes and highways, while thousands of acres of land has burned in Oregon.