Dire outlook for wildfires in California

As fires continue to burn across California forecasters say the threat of major wildfires in the state remains high and is growing higher with the traditional peak of fire season still a month away.

The National Interagency Fire Center has released it’s monthly outlook and it points to lightning, drought, dry vegetation and an abundance of dead trees combining to create above normal chances for major wildfires.

Governor Brown has issued an even more dire warning about the future of wildfires in California.

“We’re being surprised, every year is teaching fire authorities new lessons”, Governor Brown said after attending the Wednesday fire briefing for first responders at the Office of Emergency Services in Sacramento, “we are in unchartered territory, since civilization emerged 10,000 years ago we haven’t had this kind of heat condition and it’s going to continue getting worse.”

Governor Brown points to warming trends created from climate change and the likelihood of larger, more destructive wildfires for decades to come.

“I would suspect there will be more fires to come and more fires each year for a very long time”, Governor Brown said, “it’s going to be awhile before we shift the weather back to where it historically was.”

“We’re in for a really rough ride and it’s going to get expensive, it’s going to get dangerous and we have to apply all of our creativity to making the best out of a what is an increasingly bad situation”, Governor Brown said.

High fire danger is expected on the Central Coast and for most of California through October.