Canadian climate scientists have concluded that the record fires in Canada's forests in 2023 are primarily caused by a combination of environmental factors.

According to the journal Nature Communications, scientists studied the conditions under which more than 6,000 fires broke out in Canada.

According to the researchers, several factors contributed to the fires last year, including an early onset of spring, continued drought in the western part of the country, and rapid drying in the eastern regions of Canada.

Human-induced global warming has led to weather conditions that increased the risk of fires, as air temperatures rose by 2.2 degrees Celsius during the months of May to October. This is an increase of 2.5-4 degrees above the usual average.

The researchers indicate that the ongoing drought and a decrease in the annual normal rainfall in western Canada by 200-300 mm accelerated the drying of soils and grasses, creating conditions favorable for fire outbreaks due to lightning, which accounts for about 93 percent of the total burned forest area.

It is worth noting that Canada experienced a wave of fires last year and this year, igniting in 5 percent of the total forest area in 2023, destroying more than 15 million hectares of forest, which is a record compared to the fires of 1972.

Canada is experiencing numerous fires in 2024, which have destroyed 3.4 million hectares of forest by mid-August, necessitating the evacuation of thousands of residents from their living areas.