Listen to radio and watch TV and lately you hear and see a lot about wildfires, however.  Research shows the number of fires across the west has actually been on the decline for a century.

Twenty-four hour a day television news coverage and the Internet may create the impression.

It also reflects the findings from around the world.  The figures come from the journal Science.

Why does it appear there are so many more fires today than in previous decades?  Twenty-four hour a day television news coverage and the Internet may create the impression.

In the American West we also have new housing developments rising in desert and forest lands.  It looks pretty but these new homes are often in areas traditionally where fire burns.

More From 95.7 KEZJ