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The Lancet, 25 January 2025

Wildfires: what does the evidence say?

The Californian wildfires have captured global attention. The Golden State is once again engulfed in flames, with neighbourhoods decimated and more than 40 000 acres of land reduced to ash and rubble. Lives have been lost, people are missing, communities displaced, and ecosystems devastated in one of the worst natural disasters in US history.

The road to recovery and reconstruction will be long. The fires have occurred well outside the usual wildfire season, fuelled by a combination of extreme weather conditions, the Santa Ana winds, and prolonged drought, exacerbated by climate change. However, President Trump, his allies, and right-leaning media outlets have conspicuously ignored the role of climate change and instead focus on promulgating convenient, false, or downright bizarre claims, blaming water mismanagement; fire service budget cuts; diversity and inclusion programmes; and the safeguarding of fish stocks. But these claims are an unhelpful distraction from what a robust body of scientific evidence around wildfires shows.

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