(AP) â As bad as last yearâs record-shattering fire season was, the western U.S. starts this year in even worse shape.
Despite some recent precipitation, the soil in much of the West is record dry for this time of year. Plants that fuel fires are also the driest scientists have seen. The vegetation is primed to ignite, especially in the Southwest, where dead juniper trees are full of flammable needles.
âItâs like having gasoline out there,â said Brian Steinhardt, forest fire zone manager for Prescott and Coconino national forests in Arizona.
A climate change-fueled megadrought of more than 20 years is making conditions that lead to fire even more dangerous, scientists say. Rainfall in the Rockies and farther west was the second lowest on record in April, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.