Two Years After Deadly Wildfire, Are There Lessons In the Ashes?

"An aerial view shows the Yarnell Hill fire burning June 29, 2013 near the town of Yarnell, Ariz. The next day, 19 firefighters died battling the blaze." Credit - Arizona State Forestry Division/Getty Images

Check out this 5-minute audio report about the Yarnell Hill fire that claimed 19 firefighters' lives - interview with Kyle Dickman, a former hotshot who wrote the book "On the Burning Edge." "He tells NPR's Eric Westervelt about the wall of flames that the Granite Mountain Hotshots faced, and how the incident has - and hasn't - changed firefighting technology and practices.

From the Source:

"On one firefighter whose story sticks with him

One boy's name was Grant McKee; he was the youngest guy on the crew. And Grant McKee was really hesitant. He didn't necessarily want to join the crew, and he didn't want to be a hotshot, he wanted to be a paramedic. And so he had a really hard time sort of fitting into the rough-and-tumble culture of the hotshot crew. And I think what touched me about Grant's story was watching him come into it, so reluctant to join the crew, and then go from being an outcast to being an accepted member and actually sort of falling in love with the job.

On whether the tragedy was caused by bad luck or "unforgivable human error," and the changes he'd like to see

What I would like to see is a larger percentage of that money going toward preparing for wildfires. So instead of spending billions fighting them, we should be spending ... billions preparing for them — by thinning the forest, by using more prescribed fire, by letting more wildfires burn."

El Niño Expected to Dry Out Island

West Hawaii Today examined the possibility for El Niño this year. We chimed in on what El Niño could mean for the islands in terms of wildfires:

From the Source: 

"The Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization is increasing outreach in the face of the possible dry conditions. Heavy fuel loads caused by the wet summer are cause for concern, said Pablo Beimler, education and outreach coordinator for the organization, which is based in Waimea. 

'A lot of wildfires happen in these drier periods after it’s been wet,' Beimler said. 'The fuel loads in West Hawaii are similar to when we had the big fires in Waikoloa in 2005 and 2007.'

Unlike the typically well-defined fire seasons on the mainland, wildfire is a year-round possibility on Hawaii Island.

'In a single day, you may have a wet morning and wildfire conditions in the afternoon,' Beimler said. 'It just changes so rapidly.'"

Above: "High rainfall in Kealakekua and Honaunau during May benefited area farmers. The Big Island can expect below average rainfall this winter, but forecasters say the island should escape severe drought, the National Weather Service said Friday." Credit - West Hawaii Today

Explosive Fire Growth Dumps Smoke into Reno Area

"Although a wildfire may be burning miles away and you live in a cityscape, chances are, you could still be impacted by the wildfire. The most direct effect is smoke. 

To decrease your risk from wildfire smoke, check local air quality reports (EPA's AQI, for example), keep windows and doors closed, stay well-hydrated, limit outdoor activities, and if necessary, wear a "N95" mask. Regular dust masks won't protect your lungs from the small particles that stem from a wildfire. Also, if you wear contact lenses, switch to eyeglasses.

From the Source: 

"The King Fire that has sent smoke into the Truckee Meadows all week has blown up overnight to an estimated 70,944 acres.

The size of the fire combined with the winds not dying down as expected contributed to Truckee Meadows air quality reaching a level of very unhealthy, said National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Smallcomb."

Above: "Setting sun viewed through smoke as it is starting to blow into Reno from the west on Wednesday evening. The smoke is from the King Fire in California on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014." Credit - Terry Dee

Racing Wildfire Engulfs Homes in California Town

"A mere 10 minutes later, the wildfire driven by fierce winds raced through their neighborhood, missing them by three houses and torching a roof across the street."

Given the right conditions, a wildfire can switch gears and head right towards your community within minutes. That's why it's best to be READY far in advance of wildfire season by creating defensible space around your home, fire-proofing your home, and creating/rehearsing an evacuation plan. 

From the Source: 

"Fire crews aided by calmer winds and aircraft knocked down a wildfire Tuesday that damaged or destroyed 100 homes and a church and forced more than 1,000 people to flee a small town near the Oregon border.

As crews put out remaining embers, the people of Weed wandered through scorched neighborhoods covered in pink fire retardant had been dropped by firefighting airplanes.

Some homes were burned to the ground, with only chimneys left standing. Broken water pipes spurted over the blackened landscape. The remnants of the Holy Family Catholic Church were still smoking, marked by twisted metal girders lying on the ground.

The fast-moving blaze, which began Monday, was among nearly a dozen wildfires burning in California that have been exacerbated by the state's third straight year of drought. The tinder-dry conditions have sent firefighters scrambling from blaze to blaze, almost nonstop." 

Article link no longer available.

Above: "A jet aerial tanker drops its load of fire retardant on a fire near Pollack Pines, Calif., Monday, Sept. 15, 2014. The fire, which started Sunday has consumed more than 3,000 acres and forced the evacuation of dozens of homes." Credit - Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo

Firefighters Making Progress in Makakilo Brush Fire Battle

A big mahalo to all of the firefighters who have, yet again, saved countless homes and lives. 

Remember, the fire is not out until it is completely out - conditions can change in an instant. Practice situational awareness by paying attention to your immediate AND distant surroundings. Keep a close watch and ear to your local TV and radio stations for updates. 

Learn more about what to do when a fire is in your area.

From the Source: 

"Honolulu firefighters are making progress in fighting a brush fire that has charred more than 1,000 acres on the windward side of the Waianae mountains.

Capt. David Jenkins, a Fire Department spokesman, said an aerial assessment was to be conducted Monday morning and firefighters and Department of Land and Natural Resources personnel are concentrating firefighting efforts on the upper slope of the Waianae mountains, to keep it from reaching a nature preserve.

Winds in the area have died down, helping firefighters begin to contain the blaze in the upper slopes, Jenkins said.

The massive brush fire is threatening 90 rare and endangered plant and animal species in the Honouliuli Forest Reserve, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. The endangered Oahu elepaio bird and endangered "singing" kahuli tree snail also live there."

Above: "Honolulu firefighters battled a brush fire Friday above Umena Street in Makakilo."Credit - Krystle Marcellus/Star Advertiser

Dad of Fallen Arizona Hotshot Hopes to Make Better Fire Shelters (AUDIO)

Fire shelter improvements unfortunately spurred by the death of the 19 Yarnell Hill firefighters:

From the Source: 

"Firefighter Travis Turbyfill was killed one year ago by a wildfire after he and fellow members of the elite Granite Mountain Hotshots deployed to a fire shelter in an Arizona box canyon. A fierce wind blew the Yarnell Hill Fire over the crew, killing 19.

Travis' father, David, doesn't want his son to have died in vain, and he's trying to help the U.S. Forest Service improve those shelters to withstand direct flames. All that remained of the Granite Mountain Hotshots' fire shelters — which are thin layers of foil and insulation designed to help protect firefighters as a fire burns over them — were twisted piles of crumbled aluminum and ash.

David has been conducting tests on new shelter material, and recently presented the results in a video. In it, a large metal pipe shoots fire for 30 seconds onto the current fire shelter material layered over a firefighter's yellow fire-retardant shirt. The shirt material winds up scorched and brittle.

Then he runs the same test, but for a minute longer, over a fireproof fabric Turbyfill found on the Internet. 'The firefighter's shirt is completely intact,' he says as he shows the camera the scorch-free yellow material.

For anyone who's seen a wildfire, the video gets your attention.

Turbyfill's metal fabricating shop is in Prescott, Ariz. There he talks statistics. In the past two decades, burn over and entrapment accounted for 25 percent of wildland firefighter deaths. In the case of the Yarnell Hill Fire, the wind pushed the blaze over the men and trapped them in a canyon.

'What I'm saying is that if you create a better fire shelter or survivable fire shelter product, that you could eliminate 20 to 25 percent of all fatalities. Eliminate. Not reduce, eliminate,' he says."

Above: "This aerial photo shows Yarnell, Ariz., days after a fire claimed the lives of 19 members of an elite firefighting crew." Credit: Tom Tingle / AP

A Year After Deadly Wildfire: 'Some Recovery, But...' (VIDEO)

Video on how a fence brought together a town after one of the worst firefighting tragedies in American history. Article digs into the long, difficult process of mourning after such an incident.

From the Source: 

"A year ago they arrived with heads bowed, hands held. The air was silent because no one knew what to say.

They parked their pickups, their SUVs, their sedans outside Mile High Middle School, and when every last space was occupied, they parked along narrow side streets and vacant lots.

Lights blazed from the auditorium, a beacon to those who wanted to be anywhere else.

A few hours earlier on a day that soon would appear on marquees, banners and T-shirts — June 30, 2013 — friends and loved ones of the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew gathered to hear the worst news possible.

Nineteen had perished at the Yarnell Hill Fire, trapped by flames that moved so quickly several of them had not even deployed their fire shelters.

The grief began there, and spread through the city, to the vigil sites, to the public square where the hearses passed by, to the arena where thousands would gather to say goodbye.

Nearly a year later, the scenes that contained the drama of those days largely are devoid of reminders of those early days.

But the number 19 still has only one meaning in Prescott, and it reverberates as strongly today as it did then."

Above: "A makeshift memorial to the 19 fallen firefighters wraps around three sides of Fire Station 7 in Prescott in August, weeks after the tragedy." Credit: Lynn French / The Arizona Republic

Ballooning Arizona Wildfire Threatens Staples of Navajo Nation

When creating an evacuation plan with your family, make sure to include plans for your pets and livestock. Sending aloha to the Navajo ranchers whose livelihoods are at stake when large wildfires like this one push towards their community.

From the Source: 

"A fast-moving wildfire near the Arizona-New Mexico border grew Tuesday as it approached two communities and threatened traditional grazing lands on the Navajo Nation, where sheep are a staple of life, their wool is prized for its use in rugs, and mutton is on the menu of restaurants throughout the region.

The Assayii Lake Fire ballooned to more than 19 square miles in less than two days while making its way across winter and summer grazing lands in the Chuska Mountains.

The flames destroyed at least four structures and threatened about 50 homes near the rural communities of Naschitti and Sheep Springs, fire officials said.

Some homes in Naschitti were evacuated Monday afternoon, and authorities were urging desperate Navajo families to refrain from going into the mountains to search for their sheep and other livestock because of the fire's erratic behavior.

'They haven't contained any of it yet, and they're just letting it burn right now because the winds are so high, and that presents a problem," said Leo Watchman, head of the Navajo Nation's Department of Agriculture. "How far out do you evacuate homes and livestock pens? We're not out of the danger yet.'

The tribal agency has been busy rounding up trailers to move livestock from the area. But Watchman said it was too early to say what might have happened to the sheep and cattle that were on the mountain when the fire broke out.

Agriculture and livestock have been key in the evolution of Navajo society and economy. Tribal members have grazed sheep in the area for centuries, and livestock ownership is considered a symbol of resourcefulness and prosperity.

Fire managers said Tuesday they've closed roads in the area, but it has still been a challenge keeping people out given the value of livestock to the Navajos."

Above: "A plume of smoke in the Chuska Mountains near Naschitti, N.M. on June 15. Residents of a Navajo community near the New Mexico-Arizona border prepared for evacuations Monday as strong winds fanned the flames of a wildfire burning in the Chuska Mountains." Credit: Associated Press

How to Read the Mind of a Forest Fire

Very interesting article summarizing the history of fire science in the U.S. and the cool tools today's fire scientists use to predict fire behavior.

From the Source: 

"In a stand of ponderosa pine trees high in the Santa Catalina Mountains overlooking Tucson, Arizona, forest-and-fire ecologist Don Falk squatted with me next to a 100-foot-tall tree born a decade or two before American independence. At the base of the trunk, the tree's thick cinnamon-colored bark gave way to a shallow opening a foot wide and two feet high that looked like a series of successively smaller triangles. Falk ran his hand along the charred edges of the opening and explained what we were looking at: a window into the forest's past, and fire's role in shaping it.

Falk studies fire-scarred trees to understand how frequent, severe, and widespread fires have been in an area, and how those patterns have shifted over the centuries--which is also a key to understanding why some fires are bigger, more unpredictable, and more destructive these days, 'How do you know anything on Earth has changed?' he asks. 'You have to be able to compare it to how things were in the past. This is how we know the history.'"

"'What's being released in a fire is the accumulated capital stored up through years of photosynthesis,' Falk says. 

You're not destroying the carbon, hydrogen, or oxygen molecules. They're just being liberated.' And on a tremendous scale: even a relatively small fire of a couple hundred acres can pump out energy equivalent to the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, and can push a mushroom cloud of hot air, ash, and soot miles into the sky."

"While Falk studies fires to better understand how they have changed over the years and altered the landscape, wildland firefighters study fire as soldiers might analyze enemy capabilities. They catalog mental snapshots of fire behavior they have encountered: how the flames ripped through a grassy canyon or hopped off the ground and leaped into the treetops; the strange calm before a sudden wind shift; the fire tornados that can spin flame in new directions. Early on, a rookie matches these images with what he's learned in training or heard from the veterans."

"'“We are living in a time that is unprecedented, with the extremes we're seeing in temperatures, precipitation, and winds, and with that, the effects are unpredictable,' Bahr says. 'If you don't have that in your slide tray, you aren't going to believe it.'"

"The presence of human structures means that forests and shrublands aren't allowed to burn the way they once did. It’s a problem that keeps getting worse. Because the federal government pays most of the tab for firefighting, local governments don't have as much incentive to regulate development in the most fire-prone areas. Some insurers charge higher premiums if homeowners don't mitigate fire dangers, and more communities are adopting building codes that require landscaping and construction materials that can better withstand wildfire and not carry flames through a neighborhood.

But most community-protection programs are voluntary, with progress outpaced by influx into the wildland-urban interface, and more homes at risk means more firefighters at risk."

Above: "Ecologist Don Falk points out a fire scar on a fallen tree stump." Credit: Brian L. Frank

Hunters Fire Swells to 1,300 Acres; Two Firefighters Injured (VIDEO)

"We are seeing conditions that we would typically see in summer," Berlant said. "This is not the type of fire activity we should be seeing this time of year, but unfortunately because of how dry it is, this is the result."

From the Source: 

"A fast-moving wildfire burning in steep and dry terrain in Mariposa County west of Yosemite National Park ballooned to 1,300 acres by Tuesday afternoon. At least two firefighters suffered minor injuries battling the wildfire, which has quickly consumed dry vegetation, destroyed one structure believed to be uninhabited and threatened 100 homes in the area of Hunters Valley Road, said Daniel Berlant, spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

'We are seeing conditions that we would typically see in summer," Berlant said. "This is not the type of fire activity we should be seeing this time of year, but unfortunately because of how dry it is, this is the result.'

Residents who received evacuation notices were told to leave because their access would be limited and they would not be allowed to return home if they decided to leave later, said sheriff's spokeswoman Kristie Mitchell."

Above: Screenshot of LA Times video.

Dry Conditions Fuel an Alaska Wildfire That's Bigger Than Chicago

From the Source: 

"Alaska is battling a huge wildfire this Memorial Day. In the last 24 hours the fire has spread to become bigger than Chicago, prompting officials to issue an order for about 900 people as it threatens Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula, a region south of Anchorage. With just 30 percent of the fire’s 243 square miles contained, 1,000 structures have been evacuated.

Large wildfires are familiar to the region, where 1 million acres burn annually, and yet it is unusually early in wildfire season to see a fire of this size, a spokesperson said. Citing “unusually dry conditions” as the cause, the Anchorage Daily News points out the state has had “unseasonably warm spring temperatures.”

But the real culprit for worsening fires is climate change, which boosts optimal conditions like heat, drought, and dry weather. This winter, parts of the country were hit by frigid temperatures while Alaska saw temperatures in the high 40s and 50s and had its all-time warmest January. In other words, Alaska saw spring-like temperatures as early as January and February this year. Some scientists say climate change fuels this extreme jet stream."

Above: Credit - NASA

Slide Fire: Forest Restoration Helped Crews Hold the Line

This is why we focus a lot of our efforts on fuels management projects such as fuelbreak creation. The fuelbreak in Waikoloa allowed fire crews to gain access and set up a solid fire line to defend Waikoloa Village from the state's largest wildfire, which occurred in 2005. We are continuing to experiment with living fuelbreaks as a way to integrate restoration goals with fuel mitigation goals.

Prevention and pre-suppression measures are key to reducing the threat of wildfires to our communities and natural resources!

From the Source: 

"Officials said a forest restoration project in Coconino National Forest has been key to maintaining a line around the Slide Fire and is a reason why pre-evacuation notices for two subdivisions near Flagstaff are set to be lifted at noon on Monday. 

An approximately 100,000 acre donut of restored forest surrounds Flagstaff, said Dick Fleishman, public information officer for the Slide Fire. It is designed to minimize risks of fire in the city.

'The reason we were able to hold this line is because of this treatment area,' Bill Morse, public information officer for the Slide Fire, said. 'Now we're getting much more comfortable about lifting the pre-evacuation.'

...The Four Forest Restoration Initiative will lead to fire-adapted ecosystems that include fuels reduction, forest health, and wildlife and plant diversity, according to its website.

'Think of this as going to a doctor,' Fleishman said. 'This is prevention.'"

Above: Screen-capture from AzCentral. 

Ideal Wildfire Conditions Make Battle Harder for Arizona Firefighters

When there is a fire in your area, always employ situational awareness (the "Set" in Ready, Set, Go!) Know the conditions in your area - you don't want to be caught off your toes. Even before a wildfire sparks, you should keep a lookout for signs of a heightened fire risk such as lack of rainfall the past few days, grasses that are turning brown, winds picking up, etc.

From the Source: 

"The deck appears stacked against 840 firefighters trying to wrangle an Arizona forest fire as it roars through thousands of acres of park land.

Dust-dry pine needles, high winds and steep slopes have dealt the blaze called the Slide Fire ideal conditions to spread rapidly, fire officials say. And it has.

The flames that investigators fear were ignited by human hands appear to have consumed hundreds of acres in a few hours' time, according to data from the online Incident Information System. The reported acreage burned jumped from 4,830 to 7,500 acres on Thursday.

A battalion of firefighters, including 15 hotshot crews and three air tankers had the blaze 5% contained by the evening, more than two days after the wildfire was first reported."

Above: "A wildfire burns south of Flagstaff, Arizona, on Wednesday, May 21. The fast-growing fire, dubbed the Slide Fire as it is just north of Slide Rock State Park, threatens several hundred homes and rental cabins in the area." Credit: CNN

Fire on the Mountain (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Check out this beautifully put-together new short documentary on the many mysteries of fire, highlighting the Missoula Fire Lab's work in Montana. Definitely worth 10 minutes of your day!

From the Source: 

"Last June, 19 firefighters lost their lives trying to control a blaze near Yarnell, Arizona—the highest death toll for firefighters battling a wildfire in this country since 1933. What went wrong? Is it time to reconsider our approach to fighting fire?"

"Fire is inevitable. You can defer it, but it’s a pay-me-now-or-pay-me-later scenario."

"We’re paying for that blindness now. Across the West, enormous swaths of forest and shrubland are loaded with decades’ worth of built-up fuel. Climate change is compounding the problem: years of drought are turning much of that fuel into tinder; fire season is starting earlier and ending later; bugs are surviving warmer winters and killing vast numbers of trees, increasing the risk that fires will start and spread; and some forests destroyed by fire aren’t growing back, because faster-growing shrub and grass species are taking over before new trees can establish themselves. What it all means is that when fires start, they burn hotter and more destructively than ever before, often killing trees that would have survived less-intense heat."

"The success of fire shelters often depends on where they’re deployed, and on the intensity of the fire. The Granite Mountain Hotshots could not have been in a worse place for deploying their shelters: they were walled in on three sides by rising slopes that would funnel and pull the fire, and surrounded by a six-foot-high tangle of very dry fuel."

"When Marsh saw the fire turn the corner into the bowl, the crew had maybe three or four minutes until the flames would reach them. They picked an area where the vegetation wasn’t as dense and started clearing a spot for their shelters, between two shallow troughs that carry runoff into Yarnell. This was the point at which Marsh radioed his plans, with chain saws audible in the background. His sawyers cut down gamble oak and manzanita, to give the crew at least a small area free of fuels where they could lie down. Other hotshots dragged the branches away from the clearing and lit fires at the perimeter to burn off more fuels and increase the distance between themselves and the main fire when it arrived. In the final moments before the fire closed in, as they had been trained to do, they began to toss all their equipment outside the perimeter of the clearing, especially combustible items such as torches and chain-saw gas and oil. But the fire roared in too fast for them to finish the job. Later, fire-behavior analysis would suggest that it crossed the last 100 yards toward them in 19 seconds, burning at about 2,000 degrees."

Above: "Names of the fallen hotshots, scribbled on a whiteboard in the resource room at the fire station the day of the Yarnell Hill Fire and left untouched ever since." Credit: The Atlantic

The Mysterious Science of Fire (VIDEO)

Check out this beautifully put-together new short documentary on the many mysteries of fire, highlighting the Missoula Fire Lab's work in Montana. Definitely worth 10 minutes of your day!

From the Source: 

"Massive wildfires cost billions of dollars and burn millions of acres in the U.S. every year, but we know surprisingly little about the basic science of how they spread. At the Fire Lab in Missoula, Montana, researchers reverse-engineer spreading fires using wind tunnels, fire-whirl generators, and giant combustion chambers. They're finding that fire is a mysterious phenomenon, and the physics behind it is often counterintuitive." 

Above: Screen capture from The Atlantic video.

Fire Near Slide Rock Prompts Evacuations (VIDEO)

From the Source: 

"The outlook in Arizona remains grim a month after the Southwest Coordinating Center issued this wildfire forecast: 'Erratic and extreme fire-behavior potential will need to be considered as a given ... outside any typical historic frame of reference.'"

"Crews fighting a 450-acre fire near Slide Rock State Park on Tuesday night were expected to be joined by reinforcements early today in the effort to battle a northern Arizona fire that officials say is threatening 100 structures, including homes and vacation resort cabins.

About 100 firefighters were on scene and more resources were ordered as the fire quickly moved up steep canyon walls on Tuesday afternoon and heavy smoke filled Oak Creek Canyon, where fire officials say the Slide Fire was sparked.

The threatened structures are at the north end of the canyon. Evacuations were ordered along a 2-mile stretch from Slide Rock State Park north toward Junipine.

A shelter opened by the American Red Cross Grand Canyon Chapter in Flagstaff was scarcely used on Tuesday night.

Slide Rock State Park is a favorite destination in the summer.

People visit in droves to slide down the naturally formed sandstone water slides. The 43-acre park is 7 miles north of uptown Sedona. The West Fork of Oak Creek is one of the most popular hikes in the state, with its towering cliffs, meandering stream bed and lush vegetation."

Above: "Smoke seen from Cornville, Ariz., May 20, 2014." Credit: Tom White/AZ Central

Funny River Fire Darkens Sky Over Kenai Peninsula

"It's pretty scary. This is a first for me, I've been here 15 years but haven't seen anything like this."

This is a line we are hearing over and over again from across the nation and it should be taken seriously. Fire conditions and behavior are rapidly changing and need to be addressed with the same kind of swiftness.

From the Source: 

"The Funny River Fire has grown to more than 20,000 acres, according to a Wednesday morning update from the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center.

Fire came close to but did not cross Funny River Road on the north flank of the fire overnight thanks to fire crews, air support and an existing fuel break, according to the Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team’s Facebook page. 

Firefighters are focusing on securing the north flank on Funny River and the southwest corner to safeguard the community of Kasilof, the update says. Significant smoke is blanketing Soldotna...

At the Kasilof Mercantile Store near milepost 109 on the Sterling Highway, Nancy Russell said it was bright and sunny as she drove to work at 6 a.m. Tuesday. But by 11 a.m., the sky started to cloud with smoke, and it was dark by 2 p.m., she said.

Customers brought in 'horrible' photos of the smoke throughout the day, Russell said. She said people were picking up their children from school early and taking animals to safety.

'People are on very high alert,' she said. 'It's pretty scary. This is a first for me, I've been here 15 years but haven't seen anything like this.'"

Above: "The Funny River wildfire near Soldotna more than doubled in size on Tuesday, May 20, 2014, growing to nearly 7,000 acres in dry, windy conditions and low humidity, fire officials said." Credit: Bill Roth/Anchorage Daily News

Drought, Fire, and the New Normal in the American West

From the Source: 

"The wildfire season arrived early this week in southern California, at a time of the year when skies usually are covered in cooling clouds of gray.

But this spring, the skies have been more like ashen gray, and fire agencies have responded to nearly 1,400 fires this year—twice the typical number, a Cal Fire spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times. A New York Times report May 16 said fire season in the West is now 75 days longer each year than it was a decade ago.

At the root of the problem is the deep, three-year drought that continues to plague California, and warmer winter weather that shrinks the snowpack in the Cascade and Sierra Mountains—a recipe that increases likelihood of wildfires. Studies indicate that the number and size of Western fires is up, and scientists say this drought may be the start of a long-term trend, noting that other Western droughts during the past 1,000 years have been more severe and could repeat." 

Above: "Firefighters drive through a burned-out area in the hills around San Marcos, California, on May 15, 2014." Credit: Mike Blake/Reuters

Wildfires are Growing, and Growing More Costly (VIDEO)

From the Source: 

"The wildfires raging across California are the latest example of a grim reality: Wildfires are getting more dangerous, and they're costing us more, too.

U.S. taxpayers are paying about $3 billion a year to fight wildfires—triple what it cost in the 1990s—and big fires can lead to billions of dollars in property losses.

The bad news: It's going to get worse.

Researchers say a potent combination of climate change and homebuilding near wildfire-prone areas is already translating into bigger, longer, more dangerous fires, and none of those trends are showing signs of letting up."

Above: "Flames near a house in Carlsbad, Calif., May 14, 2014." Credit: Daniel Knighton/Getty Images

Firefighters Wary of Hot Winds Fanning San Diego-Area Wildfire

From the Source: 

"Hundreds of firefighters were battling Wednesday to contain a San Diego wildfire, concerned that California's so-called devil winds would ignite flareups, authorities said.

Authorities were concerned that hot, dry gusts called Santa Ana winds would set back their efforts since Tuesday morning to contain the wildfire, which improved overnight to 25% from 5%, said Cal Fire incident commander Ray Chaney.

The fire has burned 1,584 acres and prompted an evacuation Tuesday of 5,000 homes in San Diego and selected areas, authorities said. By Tuesday night, those residents had an "orderly return" to their homes, San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman said...

'It has been, to say the least, a very challenging day for local fire agencies and law enforcement agencies,' San Diego Fire Chief Javier Mainar said. 'It is unusual in May to have wind-driven fires like this that prove to be such a challenge to contain.'

Michel agreed, saying there's a long, hot summer ahead. 'This is going to be a pretty severe fire season,' he said. 'We're in a prolonged drought.'" 

Above: "A helicopter drops water near the Rancho Santa Fe neighborhood of San Diego on Tuesday, May 13. A wildfire forced the evacuation of more than 20,000 homes in Southern California, officials said, as a high-pressure system brought unseasonable heat and gusty winds to the parched state." Credit: Stuart Palley/EPA/Landov