Campfires and open burns were two of the primary causes of wildfires this August, when Maine saw more wildfires than in any other August over the last 20 years, according to the Maine Forest Service. What led to Maine having its worst August for wildfires in 20 yearsBy Emmett Gartner, The Maine Monitor When a campfire jumped its ring near a remote northern Maine lake last month, it took Maine forest rangers five days of ferrying resources by boat and digging away vegetation around the resulting four-acre blaze to stop its spread. Campfires and open burns were two of the primary causes of wildfires this August, when Maine saw more wildfires than in any other August over the last 20 years, according to the Maine Forest Service. Campfires and open burns were two of the primary causes of wildfires this August, when Maine saw more wildfires than in any other August over the last 20 years, according to the Maine Forest Service. But they tend to agree that a warming climate will exacerbate the current drought conditions that cause wildfires to spread.