How Power Lines Have Changed the History of the American Wildfire—And Could Change It Again

This post is in partnership with the History News Network, the website that puts the news into historical perspective. A version of the article below was originally published at HNN.

On the night of Oct. 8, 2017 — the eve of National Fire Prevention Day — a swarm of fires broke out in northern California. The resulting "fire siege" burned 245,000 acres, destroyed 8,920 structures and killed 44 people.