34,000 Lightning Strikes Cause Canada Fires To Surge

There are only a few ways large wildfires start. First, drought has to dry out a forest area. Then, there are human and natural causes. Human triggers include downed power lines, arson, and carelessness. Natural causes are almost always lightning. The drought in Western Canada is near record levels. The Canadian government says there were 34,000 lightning strikes in the last week. This has caused a surge in the size of areas being burned. As this grows, so does the smoke that moves east and hits American cities. The smoke problem is likely to get much worse.