Driving factors of “evil fire season” in the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau

Wildfires are among the most devastating natural disasters, causing widespread and often destructive effects to ecosystems, human communities, and economies. In the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau (TP), with the increasing frequency of extreme heatwave events, wildfires have resulted in significant casualties among firefighters, particularly in March, a period known as the “evil fire season”. Here, we show the meteorological driving factors of wildfires across different time scales based on three large and extremely large wildfires in the eastern edge of the TP and examine the impact of fire control policies. At a monthly scale, high vapor pressure deficit and drought provide weather conditions highly conducive for fires to occur in the evil fire season. At daily and hourly scales, temperature spikes, low relative humidity, and wind shifts are key triggers for extreme wildfires in the evil fire season. Furthermore, long-term factors such as climate warming and fire control policies have led to the accumulation of forest fuels, raising the risk of extreme fire behavior. The study suggests a more balanced fire management strategy to mitigate wildfire risks in the eastern edge of the TP and safeguard the lives of firefighters.