Authorities in Western states are issuing warnings about the escalating threat of wildfires as scorching temperatures and low humidity dry out the landscape amidst a prolonged heat wave that is forecasted to affect a large part of the U.S. on Thursday.
California, in particular, has been grappling with a significant increase in wildfire activity this year. More than 3,500 wildfires have already ravaged nearly 325 square miles of vegetation, a five-fold surge compared to the average for the same period over the past five years.
