Wildfires have been a major concern throughout the year 2024, with fires still raging into the new year. The 2025 Los Angeles fires have brought increasing attention to the issue of wildfires and the causes. However, 2024 fires left lasting results, affecting six continents. The wildfires left countries and states devastated by their long lasting and harsh effects. There are many common, natural causes that cause wildfires such as lightning and volcanic activity; yet, fires are also being caused by humans from cigarettes and unattended campfires. Climate change is also a source of fires with the increasing temperatures and extreme weather. No matter the cause, wildfires affected many families, ecosystems, homes and towns in the year 2024.
“The 2023–2024 fire season was marked by unprecedented fire extent and emissions in Canada; deadly fast-moving fires in Hawaii and Chile; the largest individual wildfires on record in the European Union and Canada,” ESSD Copernicus stated in 2024.
North America was largely affected by the fires. In North America, Canada suffered 4,648 fires and the United States endured 54,769 last year. North America reached about half a million fires due to drought in areas such as California, Arizona and states nearby. The U.S. states with the highest fire risks are California, Texas and Colorado. Canada experienced similar cases too, where the long dry seasons with warm air started more fires. British Columbia, Canada was the area at highest risk during the 2024 fire season.
South America also endured harsh fires- just a few examples being Chile, Bolivia and Brazil. Chile, with unusual high temperatures, resulted in over 150 fires throughout the year. Uncontrollable fires began in Bolivia during the month of June and increased in severity in July and August. The Bolivian fires resulted in air pollution and around $4 million worth of acres lost that used to be grasslands and forest. Brazil, similar to Bolivia, experienced uncontrollable wildfires beginning in June. Just one month later in July, 4% of land was burned in the Amazon Rainforest with the intensity of the fires growing. Several other countries and cities in South America like Ecuador and Peru also suffered fires along with cities nearby as well.
The other continents who withstood the fires were Australia, Asia, Africa and Europe. Australia experienced around 35,000 fires devastating their lands. Asia and Russia suffered through the most fires at around 1700 because of extremely dry conditions due to climate change. However, European countries saw very few wildfires- in most countries less than 100. Africa, on the other hand, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, went through 105,951 fires during the 2024 season. Many neighboring countries by the Democratic Republic of Congo faced not as many fires but an extreme 1,000 to 10,000 fires on their land.
Overall, wildfires have been increasing in severity due to climate change, causing the land and air to be hotter and drier, leading to a longer season for wildfires. The number of fires increased during the summer months, and when it should have died down during fall months, the number of fires kept increasing. Wildfire season used to last roughly around five months, but now wildfire season is pushing almost seven months long.
However, the wildfires continue to worsen as seen with the fires in Los Angeles Citizens were required to evacuate the city as the fires destroyed thousands of homes and buildings.. Caused by seriously dry conditions along with powerful winds, the fires continue to blow farther and for longer.
The expanding wildfire season, climate change and so many other factors contributed to the intense wildfires that burned millions of acres of land over the span of a year. The concerns of many lead people looking for ways to help save their homes.
