Arson may be rising cause of wildfires, but climate change and overgrown forests are the biggest cause

California has seen some of the worst wildfires in history in recent years. Some were caused by downed power lines or lightning, but last year's season "was unusual for the number of large fires that were linked to arson. Wildfire-arson arrests have been climbing over the last few years: In 2021, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported 140 arrests by its law enforcement division, 20 more than last year and double the number of 2019," reports Hayley Smith of the Los Angeles Times. 

California isn't the only place where wildfires happen, of course, but arson is an increasing factor in the South as well, The Associated Press reports. And arson may be responsible for a recent Colorado wildfire.

"To some, the apparent surge in arson incidents has been a troubling new development in California’s ever-worsening wildfire regime, and it has even given rise to a raft of conspiracy theories. Yet experts say the attention-grabbing headlines and uptick in arrests belie an enduring truth: Arson represents only a fraction of California’s fire starts each year. What has changed, they say, is that bone-dry drought conditions and overgrown forests have enabled even the smallest of sparks to explode into an inferno."