According to the article based on wildfires, 84 percent of the U.S. wildfires and 97 percent of wildfires in coastal California and the Central Valley were all caused by humans. We are the main causes of wildfires, which devastating destruction to nature and/or to our homes. Even though some of the wildfires are caused by climate, it is safe to say that humans still take the #1 spot for starting wildfires. However, there are plenty of ways to prevent wildfires like establishing warnings for the dangers of fires.

As previously mentioned, coastal CA is subjected to a majority of wildfires in the US, which begs the question of the reason behind this phenomenon. In California, large fires were caused by arson, lit cigarettes, fireworks, arced power lines, etc. Global warming/climate plays a role for the cause of wildfires. “A former federal climate scientist alleged that some of his peers manipulated the scientific process to exaggerate warming.” (Humans spark 84 percent of American wildfires, study finds Article) As above states, global warming causes the weather to warm up, increasing the chances of fires, but something or someone needs to trigger the actual fire.

Wildfires causes extreme dangers to nature and us, so there must be ways to prevent these fires. For example, one of the causes of wildfires are lit cigarettes, so to avoid this, we can have signs that prohibit smoking.“But there’s a lot of room for us to start the right kinds of fires; the prescribed fires, the controlled burns that many ecosystems, particularly in the Western statues, need in order to be healthy ecosystems.” The quote above states that wildfire-trained crews can prevent wildfires by causing a “controlled fire”. Another method is to extinguish fires areas of heat to protect resources and natural wilderness.

Mother Nature is not the only one to blame for wildfires. Like Balch said, a warmer climate in recent decades has helped extend the potential range of the fire season in the Western states; but humans literally set the spark. So, in conclusion, wildfires are caused by both climate and people.

<Madelyn Kang John Marshall HS 10th Grade>