Caurie's Blog

Fueled by drought and development, wildfires in the West are getting bigger and more aggressive, creating conditions so dangerous that fire bosses are increasingly reluctant to risk lives saving houses — particularly if the owners have done nothing to protect their property.

From Southern California to Montana, seven firefighters have died this year battling blazes that have destroyed more than 400 houses — a dramatic increase from last year.

The firefighters’ job has been made more hazardous by an onslaught of houses and vacation cabins being built across the rugged West — some of them inside national forests. An estimated 8.6 million houses have been built within 30 miles of a national forest since 1982.

Fueled by drought and development, wildfires in the West are getting bigger and more aggressive, creating conditions so dangerous that fire bosses are increasingly reluctant to risk lives saving houses — particularly if the owners have done nothing to protect their property.

From Southern California to Montana, seven firefighters have died this year battling blazes that have destroyed more than 400 houses — a dramatic increase from last year.

The firefighters’ job has been made more hazardous by an onslaught of houses and vacation cabins being built across the rugged West — some of them inside national forests. An estimated 8.6 million houses have been built within 30 miles of a national forest since 1982.

Fueled by drought and development, wildfires in the West are getting bigger and more aggressive, creating conditions so dangerous that fire bosses are increasingly reluctant to risk lives saving houses — particularly if the owners have done nothing to protect their property.

From Southern California to Montana, seven firefighters have died this year battling blazes that have destroyed more than 400 houses — a dramatic increase from last year.

The firefighters’ job has been made more hazardous by an onslaught of houses and vacation cabins being built across the rugged West — some of them inside national forests. An estimated 8.6 million houses have been built within 30 miles of a national forest since 1982.