Wildfire Risk Is Growing Everywhere, Even As More Americans Move Into Harm's Way

By Nathan Rott,

Molly Samuel, Claire Harbage, Connie Hanzhang Jin, Daniel Wood, Annie Ropeik

Published August 10, 2021 at 4:00 AM CDT

There's a forgotten history that should serve as a warning — wildfire isn't unique to the West.

Now the warming climate is increasing the risk of major wildfires across America. And more people are moving to fire-prone areas without realizing the danger.

Explore the project.

Nathan Rott

Nathan Rott is a correspondent on NPR's National Desk, where he focuses on environment issues and the American West.

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Molly Samuel

Molly Samuel joined WABE as a reporter in November 2014. Before coming on board, she was a science producer and reporter at KQED in San Francisco, where she won awards for her reporting on hydropower and on crude oil.

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Claire Harbage

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Connie Hanzhang Jin

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Daniel Wood

Daniel Wood is a visual journalist at NPR, where he brings data and analyses into complex topics by paired reporting with custom charts, maps and explainers. He focuses on data-rich topics like COVID-19 outcomes, climate change and politics. His interest in tracking a small outbreak of a novel coronavirus in January 2020 helped position NPR to be among the leading news organizations to provide daily updates on the growth and impact of COVID-19 around the country and globe.

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Annie Ropeik

Annie Ropeik joined NHPR’s reporting team in 2017, following stints with public radio stations and collaborations across the country. She has reported everywhere from fishing boats, island villages and cargo terminals in Alaska, to cornfields, factories and Superfund sites in the Midwest.

See stories by Annie Ropeik