The Western United States is experiencing a series of major wildfires. Severe August thunderstorms lit numerous wildfires across California, Oregon, and Washington, followed in early September by additional ignitions across the West Coast.
Fanned by strong, gusty winds and fueled by hot, dry terrains, many of the fires exploded and coalesced into record-breaking, fire cloud producing, megafires, burning more than 4.6 million acres (1.9 million hectares) of land, mobilizing tens of thousands of firefighters, razing thousands of buildings, and killing at least 35 people, with scores more still missing.
Climate change and poor forest management practices contributed to the severity of the wildfires, according to the scientists.