Wildfire Season Off to a Historic Start

Across the United States, wildfire activity has hit historic levels this spring and is likely to worsen in the coming months, experts said. As of June 1, 30,588 fires burned more than 2.4 million acres nationwide, which is twice the previous 10-year average and the highest loss in 14 years, the National Interagency Fire Center reported. Currently, 10 large uncontained fires are burning nationwide, and nearly 2,300 personnel are assigned to incidents across the country.

The Southeast has recorded the most fires nationwide so far, with blazes closer to populated areas than usual. Fires in Georgia are common from March to May, but this year is historic. Since the beginning of the year, more than 3,000 fires have burned 83,000 acres in the state, CNN reported. That is almost double the fires and eight times as many burned acres by this time of year compared to the last five years. Georgia averages over 2,300 wildfires annually with an average size of 7 acres per fire, according to data from the Georgia Forestry Commission.

The largest fires so far this year have occurred in the Great Plains, where strong winds pushed flames across towns. The West has already experienced uncharacteristically early and destructive events, raising concerns about a dangerous fire season.

Forecasts from the National Interagency Fire Center expect high fire activity through July until summer thunderstorms bring relief. Drought, warming climate, low snowpack, and changing weather patterns are contributing to factors to the ignition and spread of wildfires, experts said.

Furthermore, a recent Pew Research Center survey found that most Americans said extreme weather events in the U.S. are happening more often (68%) and are more severe (62%) than in the past.