Yes, at one point Edward Teller ("father of the H-Bomb") thought that thermonuclear weapons might set off a self-sustaining fusion reaction in the atmospheric nitrogen.
I only know about this because as a kid I read a lot of pre-space-age sci-fi, and there was a story either by Heinlein or Asimov where the solution to this "danger" was to put nuclear fusion plants in orbit.
Safety factor to get some nitrogen ignition is a worrying 1.5 when using fusion bombs of a thousand cubic meters, but even then, the reaction will fizzle out (at least, that's what I get from the abstract)
I only know about this because as a kid I read a lot of pre-space-age sci-fi, and there was a story either by Heinlein or Asimov where the solution to this "danger" was to put nuclear fusion plants in orbit.