These Places Are Most At Risk Of Being Engulfed In Flames
With heart-wrenching scenes of iconic places like LA and Jasper National Park all ablaze fresh in our memories, we see the effects of climate change before our eyes. Thanks to global warming, wildfires have become much more widespread, burning twice the amount of tree cover today as compared with 20 years ago. Here are 20 places in the world most susceptible to forest fires.
1. California, USA
If it seems like every second time you turn on the news, fires are raging in California, it's not just you. The state has experienced more than 160,000 wildfires in the past two decades, burning more than 20 million acres.
2. British Columbia, Canada
The westernmost Canadian province of British Columbia, with its forested land and hot, dry summers, is particularly prone to wildfires. 2023 saw 7 million acres of land burned during what was the most devastating forest fire season in the province's history.
(Photograph used by permission of the USDA Forest Service.) on Wikimedia
3. Brazil
2024 saw a 935 percent increase in the amount of wildfires in Brazil compared to the previous year. Climate change and El Niño have made the Amazon forest hotter and drier, making it especially fire-prone.
4. Peru
A record number of wildfires ravaged Peru in 2024, destroying large parts of the Amazon, coastal areas, and grasslands. The source of these fires was primarily human activity, according to the country's prime minister.
5. Colombia
Last year, fires raged in Colombia from the Andean Highlands to the Amazon in what was an unprecedented wildfire season for the country. More than 500 fires destroyed 42,000 acres of land in what is the home of over 10 percent of the world's biodiversity.
6. Paraguay
The land-locked country in central South America has seen vast areas destroyed by wildfires. Land use change, deforestation, and climate change have exacerbated droughts and made fires more common. 90 to 95 percent of forest fires in the region are started by humans.
7. Greece
Greece's Mediterranean climate characterized by very hot and dry summers accompanied by strong winds and dense tree cover make it prone to wildfires. 2023 was one of the worst years in history, with over 80 wildfires that killed 28 people due to the country's longest heatwave ever recorded.
8. Spain
Spain's hot and dry Mediterranean climate and its topography which is characterized by mountains with shrubs and grasslands make it susceptible to wildfires. Over 600,000 fires have occurred in the country between 1968 and 2021.
9. Indonesia
Due to its tropical climate, slash-and-burn agricultural practices common in the area, and peat soils that burn easily, Indonesia is one of the most wildfire-prone areas in the world. In 2019, forest fires in Indonesia burned more than 7.5 million acres of land, roughly the size of Belgium.
10. Siberia, Russia
Russia is the country with the highest average annual tree cover loss due to fires since 2000. Arctic warming has caused an increase in droughts, drying soils, and unusually hot and dry weather in Siberia during the spring and summer, leading to more fires.
11. India
Worsening heatwaves due to global warming have contributed to the rise in forest fires in India, particularly in the Northeastern and Himalayan regions of the country. An estimated average of 9 million acres of the country's land are destroyed annually by fires.
12. Democratic Republic of Congo
The number of fires in the Democratic Republic of Congo nearly doubled in the last 18 years. This is largely due to deforestation from agricultural activity in the region and an increasingly hot and dry climate.
13. Portugal
Portugal's hilly terrain, dense vegetation, Mediterranean climate, and geographical location on the wind-prone Iberian peninsula make it extremely susceptible to fires. 2024 saw one of the worst wildfire years ever, with over 128 of the total 1,000 raging fires labeled as devastating.
14. Morocco
Morocco is increasingly prone to wildfires due to climate change which makes summer temperatures and dryness even more extreme. Morocco receives a lot of hot and dry wind from the nearby Sahara which encourages fires to spread. In 2017, wildfires in the Rif region destroyed 2,500 acres of land.
15. Australia
Australia is one of the most wildfire-prone countries in the world thanks to its strong winds, lightning storms, flammable vegetation, hot and dry climate, and rugged terrain. It's been home to some of the most intense fire seasons in recent history including the Black Summer Fires of 2019-2020 which burned more than 44 million acres of land.
16. South Africa
In recent years, South Africa has been experiencing more prolonged and frequent droughts, making it more prone to wildfires. Arson for land clearing is also a significant problem in South Africa. One of the most devastating fire events ever to happen in South Africa was the Knysna Fires in 2017 which destroyed 25,000 acres of land, including many homes and farms.
17. The Arctic
Record-breaking fires in the Arctic have highlighted a phenomenon known as "zombie fires" which can persist even through the cold season, beneath layers of ice. In 2020, carbon dioxide emissions in the Arctic Circle increased by one-third compared to 2019 due to fires.
18. Chad
Chad is highly prone to wildfires, especially in its savannah and semi-arid regions. The hot and dry climate coupled with deforestation due to human activities, poor firefighting resources, and flammable plants make the region vulnerable to fires.
Victoriano Izquierdo on Unsplash
19. Niger
Like Chad, Niger has a hot and dry semi-arid climate, making wildfires common. Slash-and-burn agriculture and pastoralist practices which involve intentionally burning land exacerbate the risk of fires.
20. Turkey
Turkey is very vulnerable to wildfires with one of the most significant events occurring in 2021. Most of the country has a hot and dry Mediterranean climate with plenty of shrublands and forested areas and arson and negligence are also contributing factors.
