California heat wave breaks records as Creek Fire and other wildfires grow – The Washington Post:
In addition to the Creek Fire, firefighters are still battling the second-, third- and fourth-largest fires in state history that erupted during a mid-August heat wave and unusual thunderstorms north of San Francisco. Although those fires are better contained, the heat, dry weather and shifting, strong offshore winds are causing an uptick in their activity.
Since Aug. 15, the state has seen more than 1.6 million acres burned and 900 new fires started, along with eight deaths and nearly 3,300 destroyed structures. In an average California fire season to date, about 310,000 acres are burned, according to Cal Fire, the state firefighting agency.
Until we start following the science—which says we need an enormous number of controlled burns to rid the state of decades of extra fuel—wild fires will continue to ravage California.