Deadly wildfires in California have burned more than 4 million acres (6,250 square miles) this year more than double the previous record for the most land burned in a single year in the state.
California fire officials said the state hit the astonishing milestone Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020 with about two months remaining in the fire season.
โAnd that number will grow.โSo far, in this yearโs historic fire season, more than 8,200 California wildfires have killed 31 people and scorched โwell over 4 million acres in Californiaโ or 6,250 square miles, Cal Fire said Sunday in a statement.
The astonishing figure is more than double the 2018 record of 1.67 million burned acres (2,609 square miles) in California.
Flannigan, the fire scientist, estimates the area of land burned from wildfires in California has increased fivefold since the 1970s.