And they have grown more destructive. The Marshall Fire that burned just a mile or so from my
house near Boulder, Colo., destroyed more than 1,000 homes and took two lives in the last week of December 2021. This fire came on the heels of one of the driest summers and falls ever recorded along the Front Range in Colorado and was driven by more than 100-mph winds. Heavy snow put the fire out soon after.
We are also losing the braking effect that nighttime plays in slowing wildfires. Our nights, which used to slow fires down, are getting hotter and promoting more intense fires. In the American West, there are — a spike of more than 40 percent. And in the past 18 years, we’ve seen a companion 28 percent increase in nighttime fire intensity.over a two-decade period. Fires are burning 365 days a year now and there’s a lot in the way. That helps explain why firefighters, who not long ago worked mostly in summer, are fighting wildfires year-round. Moreover, we are asking fire crews to fight multiple extreme fires across the country at the same time. These crews are not resourced to do that.