How dangerous are wildfires and how can we stop them from getting worse?

The conditions for ferocious fires are expected to worsen as the planet heats up, putting more people at risk Fierce wildfires after back-to-back heatwaves have forced tens of thousands of people across southern Europe to flee their homes, while powerful infernos across Canada and the US choke big cities with thick smoke. uring a wildfire in Lège-Cap-Ferret in the Gironde, south-west France.

Mahé/ Explainer How dangerous are wildfires and how can we stop them from getting worse? Wildfires directly kill hundreds of people each year. Though they may seem apocalyptic, the death toll is far lower than from floods, which kill thousands, and from heatwaves, which kill hundreds of thousands.