Over the course of the last twenty years, the United States has experienced higher volume and total acres burned by wildfires than any other time on record. According to data available through the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), three years on record from 1983-1999 experienced more than 5,000,000 acres of land burnt.
Since the turn of the millennium however, the acres of land burnt from fires accelerated drastically. Between 2000 - 2020, there have been 16 years when more than five million acres of land burnt.
While the volume of fires have fluctuated from year to year, the fires that are popping up in the 21st century appear to be more aggressive than fires in the 20th century. Some of the 21st century fires are fueled by dry conditions, high winds and hot temperatures. These variables contribute to a perfect environment for fires to spread.
As Earth continues to experience record breaking temperatures, one can see the consequences that higher temperatures have with regards to fires, and how higher temperatures in the future harbor conditions that can inhibit even more destructive fires in the future.