At least 35 people have died in wildfires burning the west coast.

A firefighter puts out a firebreak in California. NPR/Getty/Bloomberg.

At least 35 people have died in wildfires in California, Oregon and Washington that have burned 4.6 million acres in 87 separate fires. NPR. The fires have not only devastated forests and rural communities, they have caused a massive drop in air quality. The fires are even threatening major cities like Portland. 

My Comment:

I haven't been covering this story but a look at the sky today made me think I probably should mention it. Even here in Wisconsin the skies were pretty hazy when I went grocery shopping. Considering how far away were are from these fires that's really saying something. 

These fires are worse then they usually are. California always has fires in the late summer/early fall, but it is unusual to see these fires in places like Washington and Oregon. These areas are a bit more drier then they usually are, which is why these fires have been so bad. 

I consider many of these fires to be human caused. The firebugs are out and they love causing fires like this. I know a lot of people are blaming Antifa for these fires and I think there is some truth to that. 

But not in the way they think. I don't think these fires are an organized thing by Antifa. Some of the fires may have been started by Antifa members (I think there has been one arrest of an Antifa member, but go ahead and try and find that using a search engine. I'll wait.), but that doesn't mean that it's organized. Instead, I think that Antifa is the kind of group that is going to attract pyromaniacs in the first place. These people are drawn to rioters, not because they believe in the cause but because they want to set things on fire and the riots give them cover to do so. And the fires are doing the same thing here. 

Local citizens aren't having any of it though. Unlike the national news media they understand that looters and arsonists are a threat and are organizing to protect their homes and communities. As long as some of these fires are being caused by arson, as far as I am concerned it's a good thing. 

That being said, many of these fires would have happened without the intervention of arsonists. Fires are a natural thing regardless and the weather and climate is right for these kinds of things. All it would take is a lightning strike. 

Plus, we can't forget how badly these western states are run. The power companies are a major problem in starting these fires. Unlike everywhere else in the country, they do not put resources in clearing brush around power-lines and that is a recipe for disaster. More competence in this area would have helped things but wouldn't stop all of these fires. 

Worst of all is forest management. Logging, controlled burns and other types of forest management aren't used in these states due to concerns over the environment, ironically enough. These forests are designed for fire and if they don't happen or the underbrush isn't cleared out, the fires that happen are much worse then they had to be. Of course the state governments won't ever admit it because then it would be their fault. 

Instead the governors of these states choose to blame global warming instead. I won't say that climate doesn't have an effect or that the climate isn't changing, but I will say that using it as an excuse is unacceptable. Plus, the mismanagement of this issue sure seems to be releasing a large amount of carbon, which is supposed to be a major driver of climate change in the first place...