2017 has been one of the hottest years on record, and that has certainly showed in Northern California's wine country. The wildfires are mostly due to shrubs and grasses that dried in the extremely hot summer and caught fire when unusually dry and strong fall winds blew through. The wind is the reason these devastating fires have spread so quickly. Land managers have been pushed to clear fuel sources for the fires, such as dead trees and other dried up foliage, but there is more to be done to prevent this from happening again. California scientists are planning to thoroughly examine the areas affected by the fires after they burn out.
Most people with common sense can see that this is largely due to man-made climate change. However, our government is incredibly short on people with common sense at the moment and so this fact has largely gone uncounted for. Unfortunately, until climate change is more formally recognized, stopping the wildfires is up to the Californian government. Only half of U.S citizens are firm believers in climate change, which is concerning, especially with the overwhelming evidence presented by recognized scientists.
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/10/13/557393274/california-blazes-are-part-of-a-larger-and-hotter-picture-fire-researchers-say
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