https://www.hcn.org/articles/letter-from-california-apocalyptic-fires-are-a-side-effect-of-modern-life?utm_source=wcn1&utm_medium=email

Megafires, firenados, constantly drifting smoke: The words seem to come straight out of the latest apocalyptic superhero flick, but lately we’ve been tossing them around without giving it too much thought.

The Thomas Fire that destroyed parts of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties last December established a disconcerting new reality: a year-round fire season. It burned 281,893 acres, becoming the largest wildfire in modern California history. Then, this summer, the Carr, Mendocino Complex and Ferguson fires beat that record, leaving a combined footprint of destruction that, at the time of this writing, has surpassed 500,000 acres. In the past year, seven of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history have ignited, burning for almost twice as long as fires used to burn back in 1990, according to Cal Fire…