Worldwide, an estimated 440 million people were exposed to a wildfire encroaching on their home at some point between 2002 and 2021, new research shows. That’s roughly equivalent to the entire population of the European Union, and the number has been steadily rising – up 40% over those two decades.
With intense, destructive fires often in the news, it can seem like more land is burning. And in parts of the world, including western North America, it is.
