The insurance industry is continually developing and updating hazard zones and loss simulation models to improve risk assessment, but we are probably still in a reactive phase when it comes to wildfire trends. (Credit: Jonatan/Adobe Stock)
While the number of wildfires in the U.S. has declined slightly over the last decade, the area burnt each year and the average size of wildfires has increased since the late 1990s. The number of fatalities and property losses also increased after 2017, with four of the five years from 2017 to 2021 being considerably worse than any year since at least 1990.
Related: The 10 most devastating fires in U.S. history
Globally, it is estimated that 5% of wildfires start naturally. In the U.S., 85% of wildfires are estimated to be started by humans. In Canada, which has a much lower population density, more than half of wildfires are sparked by lightning.
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