Tim Egan has written a wonderful article for the BBC, “Why Forest Fires Are Spreading,” on why the fires that are turning much of Southern California to tinder are to be expected, and why they’re going to get worse in coming decades.

If you look at a map, you find that the fastest growing areas of the US are in places that are most prone to wildfire – the canyons, mesas and alpine retreats of the West… In the West, it looks like normal is going to be a fire season that now lasts for nearly half the year, with homes in the way. Because nature, especially during mood swings, doesn’t respect a city line