The Growing Danger of Californian Wildfires

The Washburn Fire in California has burned at least 1,591 acres or land and is edging ever closer to Yosemite National Park’s ancient grove of redwood trees, or giant sequoias. Firefighters have been battling the blaze, which started on July 7, and have evacuated 1,600 people from the area.

Fire seasons play out differently every year. While it’s too early to tell what this year’s damage will be, a look at the five-year rolling averages of acres burned by wildfires in California shows that, despite a quiet 2019, the average area of destruction is growing. With an exceptionally bad 2020, the figure will remain elevated for a while.

California’s continuous battle with drought along with unusually high temperatures and dry vegetation has contributed to devastating fire seasons. The cost of mitigation has been rising quickly - from $61 million in the 1990s to more than $400 million in the 2010s.