California 2015 – vintage of fire

Harvest has begun in earnest in California, but so far it is overshadowed, quite literally in some cases, by what is shaping up to be one of the worst wildfire seasons the state has seen in decades. 

As I write this, some 12,000 firefighters are battling more than 14 wildfires across the state that have already consumed more than 100,000 acres (40,000 ha) of land. The largest of those fires, the so-called Rocky Fire in Lake County just north of Napa County, destroyed 43 homes and is 95% contained after burning 69,438 acres. It also came close to destroying one...