Following a 2020 fire season that shattered records and killed 33 people in California, federal wildfire experts predict another tough for the state due to widespread and worsening drought conditions. So far this year, firefighters have battled blazes in California, Arizona and New Mexico that were fueled by unusually dry conditions. A lack of monsoon rains in 2020 followed by a dry winter, in which California and other states got far less snow than usual, has left trees, grass and chaparral primed to burn. Between the Forest Service and the Interior Department, the federal government is expected to deploy some 15,000 firefighters this year, officials said, roughly the same number as in previous years. Separately, the Forest Service has asked Congress to approve a $476-million increase for forest management projects to reduce the risk of out-of-control fires.

Source: Los Angeles Times May 13, 2021 18:43 UTC