Question

Without people there would be no forest fires in California right now because dry vegetation CANNOT ignite, unlike what the media is telling us.

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Das ewige Geheimnis in dummdeutschen Schwurbelmedien, wie trockene Vegetation "sich entzünden" kann.

Sie tut es nie. Jemand muss sie anzünden. Es gäbe ohne Menschen zur Zeit keinen Waldbrand in Kalifornien.

Desinformation hilft nie, nicht mal einer guten Sache.

Comments

Your claim is False.

Dry vegetation does not catch fire on its own; it needs an ignition source. While humans cause many wildfires through campfires, cigarettes, and power lines, natural causes like lightning strikes can also start fires. In California, hot, dry, and windy conditions make it easier for fires to spread once ignited. Though human activity increases wildfire frequency, fires can still happen naturally. Lightning storms, rare volcanic activity, and even rockfalls creating sparks have started fires before. So while people play a big role in wildfires, it’s not true that fires wouldn’t happen without them—natural wildfires have existed for millions of years.

https://www.preventionweb.net/news/lightning-caused-wildfires-are-80-percent-more-likely-under-dry-vegetation

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While aspects of this statement are true. Yes, a majority of wildfires are caused due to human intervention but would wildfires suddenly disappear if human suddenly vacated California or areas that have frequent wildfires. The answer is clearly no, due to dry weather conditions, wind patterns and changes, and potential hazards caused by extreme weather. According to your source, an unverified account states that dry vegetation cannot be "ignited" without human intervention. I don't think this source uses credible information to justify the statement, but I believe it is trying to identify a common problem that people are not taking responsibility for potential fire hazards. The National Park Service states that untended campfires, equipment use, or discarded cigarettes' are all hazards that can cause large scale wildfires that can be prevent with a little common care. Are wildfires cause by humans? yes. Can dry vegetation be ignited by other forces than humans? Yes. Can wildfires be prevented by humans? yes.

Source: https://www.nps.gov/articles/wildfire-causes-and-evaluation.htm

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Your claim is false, there are many factors contributing to the forrest fires in California and saying that people are the main cause is just the conveinent target.  The key factors in these specific fires are due to climate change (warmer temperatures, less rainfall, and prolonged fire seasons) there is dryer vegetaion which leads to easier ignition and abilty to spread. So I would not go as far as saying that we as humans are the whole problem, approximately 84% of wildfires do start by human activity, but there are other contributors we can look at before making as bold of a claim. Other contributors include lighting, and power lines, the additon of wind also increases the spread. So while humans are a main contributor to wildfires, there are other factors to be considered, and though humans may contribute to the spread, they also are the main species to prevent the spread.

https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/qa-causes-spread-and-solutions-californias-wildfire-crisis

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This claim is false. Especially when it comes to California Wildfires, the state is already susceptible to them due to its climate. It is unreasonable to say that without humans we would not have wildfires. According to the California Legislature's Nonpartisan Fiscal and Policy Advisor, climate change combined with California's warmer weather and limited seasonal rainfall makes it very prone to fires. There has been more housing development and increased population in these fire-prone areas, which has increased the risk of human-caused ignitions. So yes, human-activity does cause ignitions, but California's naturally warm climate, dryer climate due to climate change, and unhealthy forests are the cause of more fires than humans.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4952#:~:text=Climate%20Change.,which%20are%20prone%20to%20igniting.

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I agree that humans do play a role in starting forest fires. However, to say that they are the sole reason why forest fires happen and that dry vegetation cannot ignite is simply just not true. There are multiple studies from sources online that suggest that dry vegetation is more likely to ignite from natural causes like lighting or extreme heat. A new study in Geophysical Research Letters found that when vegetation surpasses a critical dryness threshold, lightning strikes are 80% more likely to ignite fires. This proves that your statement that dry vegetation "CANNOT ignite " without human involvement is wrong. While human activities do contribute to forest fires, natural causes like lightning remain a well documented ignition source in California.

Source: https://eos.org/editors-vox/lightning-caused-wildfires-are-80-percent-more-likely-under-dry-vegetation

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​The statement in the provided screenshot claims that forest fires are primarily caused by human activities, not climate change. While it's true that human activities, such as unattended campfires, discarded cigarettes, and arson, are significant ignition sources for wildfires, climate change plays a crucial role in exacerbating the conditions that allow these fires to start and spread more rapidly.​
en.wikipedia.org

Influence of Climate Change on Wildfires

Climate change contributes to more frequent and severe wildfires through several mechanisms:​
en.wikipedia.org

Increased Temperatures: Rising global temperatures lead to drier vegetation, creating more combustible fuel for fires.​
Extended Droughts: Climate change has been linked to prolonged drought periods, which dry out forests and make them more susceptible to burning.​
Altered Precipitation Patterns: Changes in rainfall can result in both drier conditions that facilitate fires and, conversely, heavy rains that promote vegetation growth, which later becomes dry fuel.​

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Human activity does play a big role in California wildfires, but it's not true that dry vegetation can’t catch fire on its own. Lightning strikes have started wildfires for thousands of years, even before humans were involved. In fact, lightning is one of the main natural causes of wildfires, especially in dry areas where plants can easily catch fire.

Answer 1

This is a false claim, there has been wild fires for millions of years completely before human were on earth or any human ancestor. All fires have something that start it such as a lightning or any other form of intense heat. You also have no initial source that proves this claim just the claim from a twitter post which itself has no source either. Most wild fires start with dry vegetation as well. The account that gave you the claim also seems to be very unreliable and not a real viable source for any type of claim.

https://www.dryad.net/post/how-do-wildfires-start

Answer 2

Wildfires in California are not solely caused by humans. Natural factors like lightning, strong winds, and drought also ignite fires. Climate change has worsened conditions by increasing temperatures and drying out vegetation, making fires more frequent and intense (Stephens & Kruczkiewicz, 2025). While CNN reports that 95% of California wildfires are human-caused, suppression of smaller natural fires has allowed fuel to accumulate, leading to larger, more destructive fires (National Geographic, 2023). The claim that wildfires wouldn’t occur without human activity is false—natural causes have always played a role, but human actions have intensified their impact.

Answer 3

              First and foremost, the claim that “dry vegetation can’t ignite” is blatantly, laughably false. Not only are wildfires a natural occurrence across the globe, but smaller, less disastrous fires are necessary for a continued, healthy, growing ecosystem. Secondly, by reading the replies to that Bluesky comment, it's possible the owner of that original post meant to get across that it is more likely for a person to have started the California fire as opposed to it being a natural occurrence. Regardless of the original intent, a German meteorologist of his renown should fact-check himself before discussing such a sensitive topic because claiming that “dry vegetation can’t ignite” is an incredibly damaging blow to reliability.

Cited Sources:

1.wfca_teila. “Are Wildfires Good for the Environment?” WFCA, 17 Sept. 2024, wfca.com/wildfire-articles/are-wildfires-good-for-the-environment/.

Answer 4

This claim is not entirely true. The post states that dry vegetation cannot catch fire without people being there; however, there have been many cases where it has happened in the past. Lighting strikes, volcanic eruptions, and the heat of the sun can all naturally start wild land fires. According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 84% of wildfires in the United States are caused by human activities, which includes both intentional acts and unintentional human-related incidents, making humans the primary source of wildfires in the country. So, although it's a common misconception that humans are the only causes of wildfires, it's not always the case.

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/89757/people-cause-most-us-wildfires#:~:text=Humans%E2%80%94not%20lightning%E2%80%94trigger%20most,wildfires%20were%20caused%20by%20people.

 

Answer 5

This source is unreliable because it comes from an unverified post. I believe that it is false because my source also says, "Then the area more recently experienced prolonged dry weather, creating conditions for fires to break out Tuesday, January 7. The proliferation of dry, young vegetation combined with the higher-than-usual Santa Ana winds— as high as 100 mph at times — caused the fires to spread much faster than normal." (world vision.org). This states that natural reasons still come into play when fires occur in the California area.  There are also things such as natural ignition sources, fuel availability, and climate change. 

https://www.worldvision.org/disaster-relief-news-stories/california-fires-facts-faqs-how-to-help

Answer 6

This is false. While humans cause the majority of all forest fires globally, saying that there definitively wouldn't be any forest fires in California without humans is generally misleading. According to the National Park Service (NPS) around 85% of forest fires in the U.S. are man-made. A large cause of forest fires is lightning strikes, especially to arid climates such as California.

Wildfire Causes and Evaluations (U.S. National Park Service) 

Answer 7

First of all the claim of "There wouldn't be any forest fires in California if there wasn't people" is full of clickbait. According to countless articles including Penn State's own, climate change is at fault for these sudden fires. With warmer temperatures and less rain naturally there will an increase of drier vegetation causing natural fires to occur more frequently. Meaning the fires would happen no matter what and the fact there are humans around these areas wouldn't of changed the fact there would be fires. Although the fires would of naturally happened the existence of humans did alter the severance of these fires but humans are not the sole reason of California fires.

https://www.llnl.gov/article/49901/human-caused-climate-change-center-recent-california-wildfires   

https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/qa-causes-spread-and-solutions-californias-wildfire-crisis.

Answer 8

This claim originates from an unreliable source and lacks factual support. There is no definitive way to determine that humans are solely responsible for wildfires, as numerous conspiracy theories exist on the topic. While human activity can increase the likelihood of fires, natural factors—such as climate conditions—also play a significant role, particularly in regions like California. Although some wildfires are unintentionally caused by humans, prevention measures can help reduce their occurrence, though they cannot eliminate the risk entirely. In fact, humans are responsible for 84% of wildfires in the U.S. However, wildfires will not cease entirely, even with preventive efforts, as natural causes remain a contributing factor.

https://www.dryad.net/post/how-do-wildfires-start#:~:text=Though%20overwhelmingly%20caused%20by%20humans,ignited%20by%20the%20sun's%20heat.

Answer 9

The claim that dry vegetation cannot ignite without people is false for several reasons. Wildfires in California are influenced by a combination of factors, including natural causes like lightning strikes, which can ignite dry vegetation. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, lightning accounts for around 20% of wildfires. Furthermore, dry vegetation can be ignited by spontaneous combustion or friction from natural processes. While human activities like arson or campfires can increase fire risks, the claim overlooks these natural causes. The media often highlights human influence, but it's critical to consider the full range of fire causes. Source: National Interagency Fire Center

Answer 10

While acknowledging the nuance that the claim isn't entirely absolute, the evidence overwhelmingly points to human presence as the dominant driver of California's current wildfire landscape. The most compelling and direct support for the assertion that the current fire situation is fundamentally human-dependent comes from the UCI News article, this source explicitly states a staggering statistic: "Approximately 95% of all wildfires in California are human-caused." This figure is crucial; it means that the vast majority—nineteen out of every twenty—of fire ignitions originate from human activities, whether accidental (such as sparks from vehicles, faulty equipment, downed power lines due to infrastructure, or carelessly discarded cigarettes) or intentional (like arson). If human beings were absent from California, these 95% of ignitions would simply cease to exist. This single piece of data profoundly supports the claim by demonstrating that the sheer volume and frequency of fire starts "right now" are almost entirely attributable to human presence and behavior. Furthermore, the article notes that these human-triggered fires tend to occur closer to populated areas, amplifying their impact and making them a more immediate and noticeable problem for human communities, thus shaping the perception of the "fire right now" crisis.

Complementing this, the Hoover.org article, while offering a broader perspective on wildfire causes, also contributes significant evidence supporting the human-centric aspect of the claim. Although it mentions natural ignitions, the article implicitly and explicitly reinforces the idea that human actions are a pervasive and critical component of the current fire regime. It discusses "forest management practices" and "human-caused" factors as key elements of California's wildfire problem. "Forest management practices" are inherently human decisions and actions (or inactions) that have altered the natural landscape, leading to an unnatural accumulation of fuel. While not an ignition source itself, this human-influenced fuel buildup means that when an ignition does occur (often human-caused), the resulting fire is far more severe and widespread. The article's focus on "causes and a way forward" for California's burning implies that the current crisis is largely within human control and influence, strongly suggesting that without human intervention, mismanagement, and direct ignitions, the current catastrophic scale of fires would be drastically reduced or non-existent. The combined weight of these sources underscores that while natural fires are a part of California's ecosystem, the contemporary, devastating "fire right now" phenomenon is predominantly a consequence of human existence and its manifold impacts on the environment.

https://specialreports.news.uci.edu/climate-change/the-problem/human-triggered-wildfires-more-severe.php. 

"California Burning: Causes and a Way Forward"