Georgia blaze shows how climate change has led to more wildfires in the East

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Often considered more a problem for Western North America, wildfires are becoming more intense, frequent and damaging in the East, such as this week’s blaze that destroyed dozens of homes in Georgia, fire scientists said. Researchers blame…
Published

April 24, 2026

Borenstein, S. (2026). Associated Press.

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Abstract

Often considered more a problem for Western North America, wildfires are becoming more intense, frequent and damaging in the East, such as this week’s blaze that destroyed dozens of homes in Georgia, fire scientists said. Researchers blame a number of factors including climate change causing fuel to dry out and be more flammable, a record drought, tens of millions of tons of dead trees from Hurricane Helene and just the large area where dense forests and high numbers of people try to coexist.