We're on fire. Literally, the West is burning. Years of tree and brush growth, coupled with a prohibition on logging, generated plenty of fuel for the fires now raging. At last count over four million acres have been lost. Last year by contrast, 1.5 million acres were burned in Nevada alone!
Hot, dry and windy weather, along with frequent dry lightning, combined to create conditions perfect for fires. According to Lester Rosenkrance, a former Bureau of Land Management (BLM) official, he warned the agency months ago the Bureau was not prepared for a devastating fire season. "There is no doubt in my mind that we are placing the public and public property at greater risk," he wrote. Governor Racicot of Montana echoed the sentiment saying the present administration has neglected wildfire-warning signs and funding cuts have affected fire crew's ability to combat fires. All this follows on the heels of the Los Alamos fire disaster where the 'controlled burn' fire got out of hand and torched hundreds of homes and thousands of acres.