--- title: California Wildfires: Don't Call Them Natural Disasters description: There is nothing natural about the devastating wildfire that has consumed 4,000 acres near Clear Lake in Northern California canonical: https://time.com/4456011/california-wildfires-natural-disasters/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-08-17T22:00:35.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:59:35.815Z article:section: Science og:title: Don’t Call the California Wildfires ‘Natural Disasters’ og:description: Humans deserve most of the blame for the spike wildfires og:url: https://time.com/4456011/california-wildfires-natural-disasters/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf8f284f266c7433a/6988a2bf97cdff75ac6ad7af/california-wildfires-natural-disasters.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: california wildfires natural disasters og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Don’t Call the California Wildfires ‘Natural Disasters’ twitter:description: Humans deserve most of the blame for the spike wildfires twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf8f284f266c7433a/6988a2bf97cdff75ac6ad7af/california-wildfires-natural-disasters.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Don’t Call the California Wildfires ‘Natural Disasters’  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Aug 17, 2016 10:00 PM UTC  A firefighter sprays the remains of a house destroyed in the Clayton Fire in Lower Lake, Calif. on Aug. 15, 2016. A firefighter sprays the remains of a house destroyed in the Clayton Fire in Lower Lake, Calif. on Aug. 15, 2016.Gabrielle Lurie\_AFP/Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Aug 17, 2016 10:00 PM UTC Wildfires play an important role in rejuvenating forests, but there is nothing natural about the devastating blaze that has consumed 4,000 acres near Clear Lake in Northern California. Authorities have said that the fire, dubbed the Clayton fire, is the direct result of the actions of a onetime [inmate firefighter](http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-clayton-fire-20160816-snap-story.html) who now faces 11 counts of arson. Arson ranks as the most obvious in a long list of the ways that humans cause and worsen wildfires, making them disasters that are less than natural. Nine out of 10 wildfires are the direct result of human activity, a long list that includes poorly attended camp fires, discarded cigarette butts and equipment use. More than 2.4 million acres burn each year as a result of human-caused fires, according to a National Interagency Fire Center [report](https://www.nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo%5Fstats%5Flightng.html). Human-caused global warming has also contributed to more frequent and severe wildfires, scientists say. Warm weather and a lack of water kills trees, creating kindling for fires, and heat increases the length of the wildfire season. And, because temperatures tend to be [hotter and drier](http://time.com/3849320/california-drought-wildfires/) than in previous generations, firefighters often struggle to put out blazes. The length of fire season increased by 19% between 1979 and 2013, according to recent [research](http://time.com/3959260/climate-change-wildfires/), as temperatures have spiked due to climate change. ### See Inside the Blue Cut Fire’s Explosive Growth and Devastation  A firefighter keeps an eye on the Blue Cut fire line, north of Los Angeles, Calif, Aug. 16, 2016. Paul Buck—EPA  A house burns on a hill near Cajon Junction, Calif., Aug. 16, 2016. Eugene Garcia—EPA  A chicken runs by a chicken coop that burns with animals still inside at in San Bernardino National Forest in San Bernardino County, Calif., Aug. 16, 2016. Gene Blevins—Reuters  Firefighters battle the Blue Cut wildfire near Cajon Pass, north of San Bernardino, Calif., Aug. 16, 2016. Ringo Chiu—AFP/Getty Images  A melted sign shows the damage after a wildfire swept through Cajon Junction, Calif., Aug. 16, 2016. Eugene Garcia—EPA  Burned property at Hess Road and Highway 138 shows the devastation of the Blue Cut fire in West Cajon Valley, Calif., Aug. 17, 2016. Alex Gallardo—AP  An air tanker drops fire retardant on the Blue Cut wildfire in Lytle Creek, Calif., Aug. 16, 2016. Ringo Chiu—AFP/Getty Images  San Bernardino firefighter, engineer and paramedic Jeremy Pendergraft helps evacuate a couple from their home as the wildfire off of Highway 138 quickly approaches in San Bernardino, Calif., Aug. 16, 2016. Will Lester—AP  Flames burn next to Interstate 15 as the Blue Cut wildfire rages near Cajon Pass, north of San Bernardino, Calif., Aug. 16, 2016. Ringo Chiu—AFP/Getty Images  The Blue Cut wildfire burns structures and trees near Cajon Pass, north of San Bernardino, Calif., Aug. 16, 2016. Ringo Chiu—AFP/Getty Images Not all wildfires have human fingerprints on them and the phenomenon can actually improve the health of forests by clearing debris and nourishing the soil, functions wildfires have carried out for ages. But officials estimate that only 10% of wildfires have natural causes, almost entirely lighting strikes. The cause is not yet known for the[ latest wildfire to hit California](http://time.com/4456109/blue-cut-fire-southern-california-photos/), a fast-moving blaze that had engulfed nearly 47 square miles in the southern part of the state by Wednesday. Wildfires often rank among the most devastating natural disasters in the U.S. Last year, more than 10 million acres burned across the country, at a cost of more than $1 billion to the federal government. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4456011/california-wildfires-natural-disasters/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4456011/california-wildfires-natural-disasters/"},"headline":"Don’t Call the California Wildfires ‘Natural Disasters’","datePublished":"2016-08-17T22:00:35.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:59:35.815Z","description":"Humans deserve most of the blame for the spike wildfires","url":"https://time.com/4456011/california-wildfires-natural-disasters/","keywords":["Wildfires","Natural Disasters"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf8f284f266c7433a/6988a2bf97cdff75ac6ad7af/california-wildfires-natural-disasters.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf8f284f266c7433a/6988a2bf97cdff75ac6ad7af/california-wildfires-natural-disasters.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"california wildfires natural disasters","caption":"california wildfires natural disasters","creditText":"Gabrielle Lurie_AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/wildfires/","name":"Wildfires"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4456011/california-wildfires-natural-disasters/","name":"Don’t Call the California Wildfires ‘Natural Disasters’"}}]}] ```