There is a positive correlation between high temperatures and the amount of burned land that experienced fires. When these high temperatures are compounded by severe droughts, as seen in the American West, this can - and has - led to destructive fires in the past and will contribute to more disasters fueled by the ongoing drought in the future.
Since 2000, global temperatures have accelerated and the temperature on the surface of the planet has increased. This increase in temperatures has enabled a perfect storm for wildfires.
Before 1983, federal agencies in the United States did not track official wildfire data. The graphs and the tables below identify the amount of acres burnt between 1983, along with the global temperature increase over this same time period.