KTLA

California’s already destructive wildfire season may worsen this fall

Firefighter Elroy Valadez adjusts his helmet while trying to put out a spot fire from the Caldor Fire burning along Highway 89 near South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

With more than 2 million acres burned so far this year, California’s already destructive wildfire season may worsen this fall, with long-term forecasts showing little signs of relief.

Fall is almost always a race between intense seasonal winds and the arrival of rain. Officials say the next few months look considerably dry and dangerous.

The summer brought fires of rare ferocity that leveled the town of Greenville. For the first time, flames swept from one side of the Sierra to the other. Drought conditions and rising temperatures spurred by climate change have left the landscape bone-dry and ready to explode.

Fire officials and climate experts fear deteriorating conditions in Northern and Southern California as the hot October and November winds that fuel some of the most disastrous fires take hold with little rain on the horizon.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.