Sparks shot by a Los Padres National Forest firefighter fly over other crew members managing a controlled burn on Nacimiento-Fergusson Road near Fort Hunter Liggett in Lockwood, Calif. on Sept. 9, 2020.
Wildfires used to have a season in the West. Orange-tinted skies and smoky air were expected to some degree during the warm dry summer months. Wildland firefighters would spend that time traveling to wherever they were needed to fight the flames before going back to school, another seasonal job or returning home for the rest of the year. As the effects of climate change continue to exacerbate natural disasters, much of the American West has realized that wildfires no longer have a season. Wildfires tend to burn hotter, longer, more aggressively and they do so during moths that used to be considered safe. Fire season is becoming a year-round concern.
August 2020 was a particularly bad time for wildfires in California, with major fires burning all over the state. In Monterey County, three fires started within three days: The River Fire, due to a lightning strike on Mount Toro on Aug. 16; the Carmel Fire in Cachagua on Aug. 18 (cause unknown); and the Dolan Fire, due to suspected arson, on Aug. 18. As a result, tens of thousands of people became fire evacuees.
Both the River Fire—which burned 48,088 acres and destroyed 30 structures— and the Carmel Fire—which burned 6,905 acres and destroyed 73 structures—where fully contained as of Sept. 4, 2020.
The Dolan Fire continued to burn until December 31, 2020 and became the fourth largest wildfire in Monterey County’s recorded history at 124,924 acres.
Members of the Laguna Hotshots sharpen their tools after digging a fire line in an attempt to protect a home from the Dolan Fire on Aug. 20, 2020.
The Dolan Fire became the fourth largest fire in Monterey County’s recorded history at 124,924 acres.
A couple stands on the side of River Road watching the River Fire creep towards a neighborhood in Salinas, Calif. on Aug. 19, 2020.
Los Padres National Forest firefighters working the Dolan Fire carry supplies down Nacimiento-Fergusson Road as they monitor a controlled burn near Lockwood, Calif. on Sept. 9, 2020.
A firefighter working the Dolan Fire in Big Sur carries a chainsaw as they prepare for the night crew to take over a structure protection operation on Aug. 20, 2020.
The River Fire creeps down the hill toward homes off River Road in Salinas, Calif. on Aug. 19, 2020.
Trees and brush continue to smolder from the Carmel Fire along both sides of Cachagua Road on Aug. 19, 2020.
A Los Padres National Forest firefighter carries a fluid canister as he lights grass and brush during a controlled burn on Nacimiento-Fergusson Road near Lockwood, Calif. on Sept. 9, 2020. After days of warm weather and extreme fire behavior, low winds and high relative humidity allowed firefighters to gain containment along the eastern edge of the fire with controlled burns.
The remains of a home in Carmel Valley destroyed by the Carmel Fire on August 19, 2020.
The Carmel Fire’s glow can be seen from River Road in Carmel Valley on Aug. 19, 2020.