The day will come when fire will consume a third of the earth. I see two possibilities for fire: one view is a solar proton eject event strong enough to over power the earth magnetic field that repels the solar winds. The second view is an increase in solar radiation cause severe drought leading to derbies burning from dryness. Many will think judgment has arrived. During the dust storms of the 1940s many thought the judgment of God was poured out upon them as they saw dust walls a mile to two miles high. The storms could sweep across the country. The prairie sod had been busted and the system seemed to have an energy of its own as the thermal currents began to stir up dust.
ML - The way the world works - analyzing how things work