focused on massive blazes that release vast amounts of energy from the volume of organic matter burned. Researchersas an example of blazes that were “unprecedented in their scale and intensity.”
Cunningham said the research began as a response to climate skeptics who challenged whether there is a growing fire crisis if area burned globally is in decline. Despite the uptick in media coverage surrounding wildfires, he said there is not yet scientific literature to demonstrate that extreme events are changing.
“I was expecting to see increases, but the rate of the increases surprised and alarmed me because we’re only looking at quite a short period of time,” he said. “When we have these hot, highly energetic fires, those are the sort of fires that are very difficult for fire suppression to have the ability to control and stop,” he said.increase, wildfire intensity now continues to stay strong through overnight hours. This poses a problem for firefighters who rely on that window for a break in the blaze, retired firefighter and author Bobbie Scopa said.