This Year's Wildfire Season Looking Worse Than Last Year's Devastating Season
SACRAMENTO (CBS SF/AP) — While last year's wildfire season in California was devastating, with almost 10,000 wildfires torching over 6,000 square miles, this year's wildfire season is looking like it could be worse.
Between Jan. 1 and July 4 there were 4,599 fires that scorched 114.8 square miles, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
In the same time frame last year there were 3,847 fires that blackened 48.6 square miles.
By the end of 2020, a total of 9,917 wildfires had charred a record 6,653 square miles and damaged or destroyed 10,488 structures. Thirty-three people were killed.
This year's increased wildfire activity, which has damaged or destroyed 91 structures, has been driven by hot and dry conditions, Cal Fire said this week.
The entire state is in the grip of drought, much of it classified as extreme or exceptional. After a dry winter and early heat waves, the landscape is covered in extremely dry vegetation.
Two of the three large wildfires burning for more than a week in the state's far north were more than 70% contained Wednesday while the stubborn Salt Fire north of Redding was 25% surrounded. A big fire in northern Los Angeles County was 88% contained.
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