Flames whipped by strong winds burn though a hillside before destroying camper vans during the Blue Cut Fire in San Bernardino County, Calif., this week. Dead trees in front of the Half Dome monolith at Yosemite National Park in California last summer. The Blue Cut blaze remains a dangerous inferno, with just a quarter of it contained early Friday. He assembled a large state-local task force to remove dead trees from areas that historically have burned. “It drops into the grass and starts to ignite,” said Cal Fire Chief Ken Pimlott, one of the commanders guiding the response to the Blue Cut.

Source: Washington Post August 19, 2016 19:57 UTC