Canadian wildfires in 2023 were primarily caused by lightning, not arson, igniting dry forests; human activity was a minor factor.
No, it is not true that the record-setting Canadian wildfires in 2023 were caused mainly by arson. The vast majority of the fires were caused by lightning that ignited abnormally dry forests. According to the Quebec Forest Fire Protection Agency, nearly 53% of the fires were caused by lightning, causing more than 99% of the area burned in 2023. Human activity, including arson, can play a role in starting wildfires, but in the case of the 2023 Canadian wildfires, lightning strikes were the primary cause of the fires.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Canadian_wildfires
https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/17/climate/canada-conspiracy-theorist-arson-wildfires-intl/index.html
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/16/canada-wildfires-conspiracy-man-pleads-guilty-arson
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/151985/tracking-canadas-extreme-2023-fire-season
