California’s Wildfire Season Is Already Overactive

Key points

• It’s May, but California is already getting a taste of what peak fire season could look like, as out-of-control blazes pose a danger to infrastructure and some of the most threatened trees on the planet.
• A combination of high winds and heat has contributed to a trio of major fires in Southern California.
• The largest among them is the Santa Rosa Island Fire, which started over the weekend in Channel Islands Park after a stranded sailor used flares to signal for help.
• The blaze has consumed roughly 16,600 acres—almost a third of the entire island.
• While some structures have been lost, the biggest is a grove of Torrey pines, which are among the rarest trees in the world.