Factbox: Five of the largest wildfires ever to hit the U.S. West

The gutted Medford Estates neighborhood is seen in the aftermath of the Almeda fire in Medford, Oregon, U.S., September 11, 2020. Image taken with a drone. REUTERS/Adrees Latif

(Reuters) - More than 100 wildfires have ripped through parts of the U.S. West in recent weeks, consuming areas nearly the size of New Jersey, killing at least 24 people and forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.

While wildfires typically erupt in states west of the Rocky Mountains in late summer, climate change has made matters worse by contributing to greater extremes in wet and dry seasons, scientists say. As a result, vegetation flourishes then dries out, leaving more abundant, volatile fuel for fires.