Historic wildfires and climate change in California

The Glass Fire has destroyed numerous structures in Napa and Sonoma county since it ignited early Sunday morning. Remnants of homes rest on the hill of the Skyhawk neighborhood in Santa Rosa, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020. Photo by David Rodriguez/The Salinas Californian via Imagn Content Services, LLC

The Glass Fire has destroyed more than 100 homes and forced some 70,000 people in Napa and Sonoma Counties to evacuate. It’s just 5% contained as of this morning. This year has been full of natural disasters for California: record temperatures, hazardous air, the worst fire season ever. The fires have collectively burned nearly 4 million acres in California. 

Climate change will only continue the trend, says UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain: “In the future, in a warmer climate … we will see even larger swaths of land burn in California than this year.”