Article
JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images

Wildfire Watch

Learn the stats behind these deadly natural disasters

By Erik Baard
From the November 2020 Issue
Lexile: 910L; 610L
Firefighters rushing to put out a forest fire

JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images

On November 8, 2018, a power line started a small fire in Northern California. Over the next two weeks, that fire blazed into a massive wildfire that became known as the Camp Fire. It was the deadliest fire in the U.S. in 100 years. Eighty-eight people died and about 19,000 structures burned, including most of the town of Paradise, California.

In the past, wildfires were mainly started by natural causes like lightning strikes. Occasional fires can be beneficial because they add nutrients to the soil. But human activity has increased the chances of accidents like the one that started the Camp Fire.

Scientists have found that global warming increases the risk of wildfires too. Rising temperatures make land dry and strengthen winds that spread the flames. This fuels dangerous wildfires. 

Researchers are studying the factors that influence wildfires and how they spread.

Wildfires Around the World
Watch a video about the effects of wildfires.
Line graph showing per year how many millions of acres are burned across the U.S.

According to the line graph, about how many millions of U.S. acres were burned by wildfires in 2018? 

Graph showing in 2018, what states had the most wildfires

About how many wildfires occurred in North Carolina in 2018? 

A. 3,500

B. 5,000

C. 7,000

D. 8,500 

Bar graph showing the number of California wildfires in 2016, and what caused them

According to the bar graph, what two activities led to the fewest number of human-caused wildfires in California in 2016?

Line graph showing per year how many millions of acres are burned across the U.S.

True or False: Between 2013 and 2015, the number of U.S. acres burned by wildfires increased.  

A. True
B. False

Two pie charts of what season has most forest fires cause by humans and then by lightning

According to the circle graph, which season has the most human-caused wildfires?

A. Winter

B. Spring

C. Summer

D. Fall

Graph showing in 2018, what states had the most wildfires

Which two states had about the same number of wildfires in 2018?

A. California and Texas

B. Georgia and North Carolina

C. Oregon and Arizona

D. North Carolina and California

Two pie charts of what season has most forest fires cause by humans and then by lightning

True or False: More than half of human-caused wildfires happen during the spring and summer. Explain your answer. 

Teachers: poll your class, then type the total number of answers in the boxes and click “Cast Your Vote.”

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