Why Today's Wildfires Are Hotter And More Destructive
Hot and intense wildfires have a new name: megafires. They thrive on a buildup of dry fuel in the forests and increasingly threaten homes built on the edge of the wildland.
Here's a telling statistic: Seven of the most destructive wildfires in California history have occurred just in the past 10 months.
In the West, wildfires are burning hotter and more intensely than ever because of climate change, and the situation is made worse by the explosion of development in fire-prone areas and past firefighting decisions. Here are three reasons the destructive fires you're seeing all over the news right now are unlikely to abate
