Number of wildfires recorded for each decade, 1924-2023

The data in this chart is presented by decade. This format helps to illustrate whether there is any trend in the number of wildfires occurring over time. The big increase in the number of fires between 2004 and 2013 was not matched with a large increase in the area burned (see chart below). Only in the last decade has there been a large increase in the overall area burned commensurate with the increase in the number of fires over a decade. What occurred during the last decade to make fires more numerous and larger than in previous decades?