John Abatzoglou

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Andrew Rowley watches a wildfire burning from a distance after evacuating his home in Spokane, Wash., on Aug. 1, 2026. AP Photo/Young Kwak

Why the Spokane wildfires became so catastrophic

Mojtaba Sadegh, Boise State University; United Nations University and John Abatzoglou, University of California, Merced

Extreme fire conditions converged in suburban neighborhoods built into the forests, shrubland and grasslands and quickly spread.
Residents try to put out flames as a wildfire threatens homes in Quito, Ecuador, in September 2024. AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa

Wildfire disasters are increasingly in the news, yet less land is burning globally – here’s why

Mojtaba Sadegh, Boise State University; John Abatzoglou, University of California, Merced, and Seyd Teymoor Seydi, Boise State University

Even though you may mostly hear about fires in the US, Canada, Europe and Australia, it’s Africa that has far and away the most acreage burned and people exposed to fire.
Many of the people caught in the wildfire that swept through Paradise, Calif., in 2018 were older adults. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Wildfire risk is soaring for low‑income, elderly and other vulnerable populations in California, Washington and Oregon

Mojtaba Sadegh, Boise State University and John Abatzoglou, University of California, Merced

Alarmingly, about half the people exposed to wildfires in Washington and Oregon were those least able to afford to protect their homes, evacuate safely and recover.
Stefan Doerr

Climate change: wildfire risk has grown nearly everywhere – but we can still influence where and how fires strike

Stefan H Doerr, Swansea University; Cristina Santín, Instituto Mixto de Investigación en Biodiversidad (Universidad de Oviedo - CSIC); John Abatzoglou, University of California, Merced; Matthew William Jones, University of East Anglia, and Pep Canadell, CSIRO

Fire weather reason – when wildfires are most likely to strike – has expanded almost everywhere.
Banana plantation workers in Panama find shade under a vehicle during a break. Jan Sochor/Latincontent/Getty Images

Heat waves hit the poor hardest – calculating the rising impact on those least able to adapt to the warming climate

Mojtaba Sadegh, Boise State University; John Abatzoglou, University of California, Merced, and Mohammad Reza Alizadeh, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

The risk from heat waves is about more than intensity – being able to cool off is essential, and that’s hard to find in many low-income areas of the world.
Heat and dryness are leaving high mountain areas more vulnerable to forest fires. David McNew/Getty Images

Western fires are burning higher in the mountains and at unprecedented rates as the climate warms

Mojtaba Sadegh, Boise State University; John Abatzoglou, University of California, Merced, and Mohammad Reza Alizadeh, McGill University

As the risk of fires rises in areas once considered too wet to burn, it creates hazards for mountain communities and for downstream water supplies.
Heat and dryness are leaving high mountain areas more vulnerable to forest fires. David McNew/Getty Images

Western fires are burning higher in the mountains at unprecedented rates – it’s a clear sign of climate change

Mojtaba Sadegh, Boise State University; John Abatzoglou, University of California, Merced, and Mohammad Reza Alizadeh, McGill University

As the risk of fires rises in areas once considered too wet to burn, it creates hazards for mountain communities and for downstream water supplies.
Dry conditions across the West follow a hot, dry year of record-setting wildfires in 2020. Communities were left with scenes like this, from California’s Creek Fire. Amir Aghakouchak/University of California Irvine

Another dangerous fire season is looming in the Western U.S., and the drought‑stricken region is headed for a water crisis

Mojtaba Sadegh, Boise State University; Amir AghaKouchak, University of California, Irvine, and John Abatzoglou, University of California, Merced

Drought conditions are so bad, fish hatcheries are trucking their salmon to the ocean and ranchers are worried about having enough water for their livestock.

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