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SOURCE: Earther

DATE: June 25, 2018

SNIP: Destructive wildfires have lit up Northern California less than a year after 2017’s record-setting wildfire season. Three large fires are burning, serving as yet another reminder of the dangers of living in wildfire prone areas, especially as the climate changes.

The fires began this weekend riding the back of hot, windy weather that almost always portends fire danger in the West. The largest fire currently burning is the Pawnee Fire in Lake County. As of yesterday, that blaze was uncontained. By Monday morning, the fire had destroyed at least 22 homes and burned through 8,200 acres just south of Mendocino National Forest according to CAL-FIRE.

Another 600 structures are currently in harm’s way, which is why the county has issued a mandatory evacuation for 3,000 residents living in and around Spring Valley. CAL-FIRE reports that 237 firefighters are currently trying to get a handle on the blaze, with more help on the way.

The fires bring back bad memories of the nightmare blazes that turned Northern California into an inferno in October of last year.

The current crop of fires is obviously nowhere near as destructive, but they do attest to the dangerous realities people face living in at what experts call the wildland-urban interface. More and more people are living in forested areas that offer a peaceful respite from the cacophony of modern life. That is, until they catch fire.

Overall, wildfire season is now 105 days longer than it was in 1970, according to Climate Central.