Wildfire season is upon the American West, with fires blazing in California, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Oregon, and Washington. With a somewhat delayed onset this year, wildfire season came roaring in with a vengeance in mid-August, with a record number of blazes in California and large, destructive fires burning throughout the West. Year-to-date, the number of fires and acreage burned is roughly on par with recent years. But of course, 2020 is not a typical year by any measure. This year, the western states are entering wildfire season during an ongoing, uncontrolled pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has wide-ranging impacts on this year’s wildfire season, including how fires are fought, the scale of public health risks they present, and their impacts on businesses.
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