every single one of these comments about it being the "dems" fault is complete ignorance of the real problem and only feeds the flames of division in this country. A hundred years ago, forests were much less dense than they are now. Fires were small and due to less humans in the area, they were usually natural. Since humans have moved in we have become scared of these fires burning down our homes that we build in the middle of the forest, so we developed a plan to stop them. A plan that worked so well that the forests adapted to it. Since we got so good at preventing fires, the number of fires dropped significantly and the forests have grown back more and more dense after each fire, causing the buildup of fuel and allowing insects like the pine beetle to spread faster and further. With no natural breaks or barriers in the forests, these fires can burn hundreds of thousands of acres. The resulting smoke also contributes to climate change which causes droughts and hotter summers, further increasing the chance of megafires. We need to re-evaluate our forest management and put a stop to climate change if we ever want to stop these mega-fires. Burn small areas and remove dead trees to create natural barriers for the fires. With limited fuel, fires that begin to burn out of control will have nowhere to go and new forest is much harder to burn than old dry forest. Stop building houses deep in the trees and address climate change and how it affects rain and snowfall in the state.