Fires Out West
This summer, wildfires
wildfire
DAVID MCNEW/GETTY IMAGES
a fire in a wild area such as a forest that is not controlled
(noun)
Wildfires are common in California.
tore across the western United States. Firefighters worked to put them out. Still, the blazes burned down homes and forests. They destroyed
destroy
JIMKRUGER/GETTY IMAGES
to damage something so badly that it cannot be repaired
(verb)
A tornado destroyed the house.
everything in their path.
The Mendocino Complex Fire burned in Northern California. It was made up of two fires, which spread across more than 450,000 acres. It was the biggest fire in the state’s history.
“We broke the record,” Scott McLean told the Los Angeles Times. He is deputy chief of Cal Fire. “That’s one of those records you don’t want to see.”
MARCUS YAM—LOS ANGELES TIMES/GETTY IMAGES
JUSTIN SULLIVAN—GETTY IMAGESHeating Up
Most wildfires happen in hot, dry places. Some are caused by people, while others are sparked by lightning. Experts say climate change is making wildfires worse. “The warmer it is, the more fires we see,” Mike Flannigan told the Associated Press. He is a fire scientist at the University of Alberta, in Canada.
While many of the California fires are now under control, wildfire season isn’t over. Experts say wildfires can be even more destructive
destructive
GORDON DONOVAN/GETTY IMAGES
causing a lot of damage
(adjective)
causing a lot of damage
after September 1.
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