A new study in Science Advances found that human-caused climate change has extended wildfire-favorable conditions in North America by 36% more hours and 44% more days compared to 50 years ago, as warmer, drier nights prevent fires from dying down overnight.

Researchers linked the trend to rising nighttime temperatures and reduced humidity recovery, with fires like those in Lahaina, Jasper and Los Angeles among those that burned through the night, making them harder to contain.

Jacob Bendix, professor emeritus of geography and the environment, calls the study a sobering reminder of climate change’s role in driving “increased fire potential across almost all of the fire-prone environments of North America.”

Read more in the Associated Press article, “Wildfires used to ‘go to sleep’ at night. Climate change has them burning overtime.”

Bendix was also quoted in the Associated Press article, “As the planet warms, scientists burn homes to figure out how to best protect them in wildfires.” Fire testing makes clear that it's important to take care of what's outside of structures. But fire standards can only help so much. “Under really severe fire conditions, especially those involving very high winds, they probably are of more limited value,” Bendix says.