Wood ignites at temperatures in the hundreds of degrees. How are some wildfires supposedly started by sunlight without human action or lightning?

Question

Wood ignites at temperatures in the hundreds of degrees. How are some wildfires supposedly started by sunlight without human action or lightning?

In: 1508

Answer 1

There is no way just sun shining onto a forest can cause a fire. However, hot temperatures can dry the land, vegetation and the soil, reducing humidity and increasing the likelihood of any existing fire to spread. Fires are much less likely to spread when the air is very humid and the trees are full of water.

Source: I live in Australia. We have had recent catastrophic bushfires. We monitor humidity levels every summer to determine the likelihood of fires