Wildfires Are Getting More Frequent and More Destructive. There Are No Easy Ways to Prevent Them

In mid-October, as high winds and warm weather struck the Sierra Nevada foothills in Northern California lights went off for some 60,000 Californians. Schools shuttered and businesses went dark.

At fault was the specter of dangerous wildfires. To be clear, no wildfire burned in the immediate vicinity. Instead, the local utility company preemptively shut off power, fearing that high winds could lead to a collision between highly flammable dead trees and a power line, sparking a deadly fire.