More than 8,200 wildfires have burned "well over 4 million acres" in California this year, killing 31 people and destroying 8,450-plus structures, Cal Fire said Sunday.
Why it matters: Cal Fire confirmed on Sept. 7 that nearly 2.2 million acres had burned, surpassing the previous record set in 2018. The amount of land charred now is bigger in size than Connecticut and more than double that which burned in 2018, when 1,975,086 acres were razed.
Since CAL FIRE officially began recording state responsibility fire figures in 1933, all large fire years have remained well below the 4 million acre mark for acreage burned, until now. This year is far from over and fire potential remains high. Please be cautious outdoors. pic.twitter.com/IkwjSqEeVo
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) October 4, 2020
Of note: 2018 remains the deadliest year for wildfires, with 85 people losing their lives in blazes.
The big picture: The wildfires have been particularly bad in recent days in California's wine country, where the Glass Fire that started late last month has burned across 63,885 acres and was at 17% containment as of Sunday.
What to expect: More seasonal temperatures are expected by the end of the week, "with a chance of some precipitation in the most northern part of the State," Cal Fire said in a statement.
- "Expect locally gusty winds over the next few days on the west edge of the Sacramento Valley, the North and East Bay, and Southern California mountain ranges," Cal Fire said.