Are wildfires getting worse?

Marissa Luck Jul 14, 2025

Feb 6, 2018

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                <h1>Are wildfires getting worse? </h1>
                <h2><p>Think fires are bad this year? Let’s go back to the days of horse-drawn wagons. Despite global warming, fires today are smaller and less severe overall than fires the West’s early settlers had to deal with, according to a KUOW report. However, over recent decades, the number of</p></h2>
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               <p>By <a href="/author/marissaluck7-gmail-com/">Marissa Luck</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Feb 6, 2018</time></p>
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            <p>Think fires are bad this year? Let’s go back to the days of horse-drawn wagons. Despite global warming, fires today are smaller and less severe overall than fires the West’s early settlers had to deal with, <a href="http://kuow.org/post/wildfire-severity-really-getting-worse?ref=dev.cascadepbs.org">according to a KUOW report.</a> However, over recent decades, the number of acres burned by wildfires has been increasing significantly.History books aside, the immediate dangers continue.<a href="http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2014/aug/11/wind-dry-lightning-could-add-up-to-bad-news-for-fires/?ref=dev.cascadepbs.org"> According to a Wenatchee World report</a>, dry lightning and wind expected today through Wednesday could challenge firefighters’ efforts to contain fires across North Central Washington. — E.W.</p>
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Think fires are bad this year? Let’s go back to the days of horse-drawn wagons. Despite global warming, fires today are smaller and less severe overall than fires the West’s early settlers had to deal with, according to a KUOW report. However, over recent decades, the number of acres burned by wildfires has been increasing significantly.History books aside, the immediate dangers continue. According to a Wenatchee World report, dry lightning and wind expected today through Wednesday could challenge firefighters’ efforts to contain fires across North Central Washington. — E.W.

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By Marissa Luck

Marissa Luck is a Tacoma-based writer and editorial intern at Crosscut. She has previously reported on issues of activism, homelessness, and Olympia city news for Works in Progress and Olympia Power &