Climate Adaptation

Record Number of Acres Have Burned in California With Worst of Season Still to Come

Climate change has created prime conditions for massive burn
Conveyor belt of dry winds will fan wildfires across the state

A firefighter works during the Creek Fire in Madera County, California on Sept. 7.Photographer: Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images

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By Brian K Sullivan and Mark Chediak

September 8, 2020 at 9:08 PM UTC

Updated on

September 9, 2020 at 10:00 AM UTC

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California’s worst fire season on record is about to ramp up as a hot, dry autumn promises even more destruction, blackouts and evacuations.

Already, 2020 has yielded three of the four largest blazes in state history, with wildfires torching an unprecedented 2.2. million acres and cutting power to hundreds of thousands of Californians. It’s going to get worse in October and November, as a conveyor belt of dry winds whip through the state, amplifying fire risk.