Firefighters work against the advancing Lake Fire in Los Olivos, Calif., on Saturday, July 6, 2024. Eric Thayer/AP hide caption
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California wildfires
A Cal Fire OV-10 air tactical aircraft releases a puff of smoke while guiding a fire retardant drop during the Thompson Fire in Oroville, Calif., on Wednesday. Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle/AP hide caption
Many homes are destroyed in wildfires due to wind-driven embers that get caught in the landscaping. California is now drafting rules that would limit vegetation within five feet of a house. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption
With wildfires growing, California writes new rules on where to plant shrubs
Rich Snyder, who retired as the fire marshal of Sierra Madre, Calif., now works for Allied Disaster Defense, a California company that hardens homes against wildfire. One strategy is covering air vents with ember-blocking mesh. Liz Baker/NPR hide caption
The fire department in Glendale, Calif., has been hiring Fire Grazers Inc. to help reduce the city's wildfire risk. Vanessa Romo/NPR hide caption
In California, wildfires are prevented by crews of unlikely firefighters: goats
Investigators walk around rotor blades from a crashed helicopter on a burned hillside in Cabazon, Calif., on Monday, Aug. 7, 2023. Three people were killed when their helicopter crashed into a hillside after colliding with another chopper as the team battled a wildfire, emergency officials said. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images) Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Gnarled, tall and all-seeing. Sean Gallup/Getty Images, hide caption
Firefighters coordinate efforts at a burning property while battling the Fairview Fire on Monday, near Hemet, Calif. Ethan Swope/AP hide caption
Firefighters walk in a line Wednesday during a wildfire in Castaic, Calif. Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP hide caption
A search and rescue canine leaves a home leveled by the McKinney Fire on Monday in Klamath National Forest, Calif. Noah Berger/AP hide caption
A helicopter drops water on the Washburn Fire burning in Yosemite National Park on Saturday. Noah Berger/AP hide caption
By the time it was contained, the Caldor fire had destroyed more than 1,000 structures, damaged 81, injured at least five people and forced some 50,000 people to evacuate from the Lake Tahoe area. Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
The 2020 Castle Fire burned the Alder Creek sequoia grove with extreme intensity, killing many of the 1,000-year-old trees there. Without any green foliage, the trees can't survive or resprout. Lauren Sommer/NPR hide caption
A Single Fire Killed Thousands Of Sequoias. Scientists Are Racing To Save The Rest
Firefighters put out hot spots near South Lake Tahoe, Calif., on Wednesday. Authorities are reporting progress in the battle to save communities on the south end of Lake Tahoe from a huge forest fire. Jae C. Hong/AP hide caption
Prescribed burns, like this one in Humboldt County, Calif., reduce the underbrush without destroying trees. Lenya Quinn-Davidson hide caption
Firefighters carry water hoses while battling the Caldor Fire near South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021. Jae C. Hong/AP hide caption
The Caldor Fire burns at Sierra-at-Tahoe ski resort on Monday, Aug. 30, 2021, in Eldorado National Forest, Calif. Noah Berger/AP hide caption
Controlled burns, like this one in Lassen Volcanic National Park, reduce the risk of extreme fires by clearing flammable brush. National Park Service hide caption
Following the Dixie Fire, flames burn in a tree in the Canyondam area of Plumas County, Calif., Friday, Aug. 6. Noah Berger/AP hide caption
Flames from the Dixie Fire consume a home on Highway 89 south of Greenville, Calif., on Thursday. Noah Berger/AP hide caption
Given The Choice Between Prison Life And Fighting Wildfires, These Women Chose Fire
Flames approach houses during the Tick Fire on Oct. 24, 2019 in Canyon Country, California. David McNew/Getty Images hide caption
Rebuilding After A Wildfire? Most States Don't Require Fire-Resistant Materials
A new mobile voting center brings voting directly to residents in Santa Cruz County, Calif. Here, the VoteMobile is parked at Garfield Park Village, an apartment complex for seniors. Erika Mahoney/KAZU hide caption