6 of 20 largest California wildfires were in 2020
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Six of the 20 largest wildfires in modern California history have been this year, the N.Y. Times reports (subscription) in "A Climate Reckoning in Fire-Stricken California."
What they're saying: "It's really shocking to see the number of fast-moving, extremely large and destructive fires simultaneously burning," Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, told The Times.
- "I've spoken to maybe two dozen fire and climate experts over the last 48 hours and pretty much everyone is at a loss of words. There’s certainly been nothing in living memory on this scale."
The context: We can never remind you of this often enough: 18 of the warmest 19 years have occurred since 2001, according to NASA.
- We just experienced the warmest decade ever.
The latest: 500,000 Oregonians — more than 10 percent of the state's 4.2 million people — have been told to evacuate as flames encroach, AP reports.
- More than 1,400 square miles have burned in Oregon this week.
- In Washington state, wildfires have scorched 937 square miles.
- In a Northern California wildfire, 10 people are confirmed dead, as searchers look for 16 missing people.
Go deeper: Climate change affects what types of trees can be established after fires.
