Publication Date May 12, 2022 | AP

New Mexico wildfire grows; California fire destroys mansions

Western United States
A firefighter works to put at a structure burning during a wildfire Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in Laguna Niguel, Calif. (Credit: AP Photo/Marcio J. Sanchez)
A firefighter works to put at a structure burning during a wildfire Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in Laguna Niguel, Calif. (Credit: AP Photo/Marcio J. Sanchez)

Climate Signals summary: Human-caused climate change is causing wildfires to burn hotter, spread faster, and become more difficult to extinguish - as evidenced by the wildfires currently burning in the Western United States.


Article excerpt: 

The largest wildfire in the U.S. was spreading toward mountain resort towns in northern New Mexico, prompting officials to issue another set of warnings for more people to evacuate.

Meanwhile, a wildfire that erupted Wednesday afternoon in coastal Southern California raced through coastal bluffs of multimillion-dollar mansions, burning at least 20 homes, fire officials said. 

[Brian] Fennessy [chief of the Orange County Fire Authority] said climate change has made even small fires that once would have been easily contained into extreme threats to life and property throughout the West.

You can read the rest of this article here: 

https://apnews.com/article/wildfires-fires-environment-new-mexico-california-7af9a9204ccf2c8f0d7c98015f9eef8e