Bracing for the perfect firestorm

A firefighter from a Ventura County Fire Department strike team setting a backfire while battling the Park fire with his crew in July 2024. — Loren Elliott/The New York Times

WITH Los Angeles still recovering from the devastating fires that killed at least 30 people and destroyed thousands of homes, California’s residents are being warned that the summer, typically the worst season for wildfires, could be especially brutal this year.

Every summer across the state, the atmosphere dries up and temperatures turn warm, sucking moisture from the landscape and turning parched vegetation into kindling, ready to burn under the right conditions.