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The first thing you should know,
is that wildfires require

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three key ingredients:
fuel to burn, the right conditions,

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and a source of ignition.

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But what does that actually mean?

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So fuel, like needles, leaves, or wood

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on the forest floor, is rarely
a fire’s limiting factor.

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And the conditions that are favorable
for fire - like hot, dry and windy days,

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are becoming more and more common,
as our climate changes.

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Under these “fire weather” conditions, fuels
dry out become more susceptible to burn.

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As for source of ignition, well,
most of the wildfires

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that NASA detects from space
are started by people.

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Others, usually the Arctic and boreal
regions, are ignited by lightning strikes.

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NASA can track these conditions
and inform land managers

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when an area appears prone to wildfire.