Skip to content
Subscriber Only
Green
Climate Adaptation

Giant Infernos Blazing for Months Are the New Norm in California

  • Climate change making state more vulnerable to big fires
  • Dixie Fire proving difficult to contain in rough terrain
The Dixie Fire burns on a mountain ridge near Greenville, California, on Aug. 5.

The Dixie Fire burns on a mountain ridge near Greenville, California, on Aug. 5.

Photographer: Trevor Bexon/Getty Images
By

Updated on

The Dixie Fire has been burning for an entire month in Northern California, and that’s no longer unusual for giant wildfires torching the Golden State.

Eight of the 10 biggest fires in California history have occurred in just the past four years, and several of those raged for months before they were fully contained, according information from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.