About 90% of wildfires in the northwest are started by humans, and despite repeated messaging about fire safety, that number continues to grow. Hilary Franz, Washington’s Commissioner of Public Lands, said so far in 2024, there’s already been a 40% increase in fires in the state compared to the same time last year. This comes after 2023 brought more fires on the west side of the Cascades compared to the east side for the first time ever. Franz attributes the change in geographic location of the fires to a lack of wildfire awareness from people on the west side, where major wildfires have historically been far less common than on the east side.