Large wildfires are raging in eight states in the continental western United States. The southwest has seen a prolonged and severe heat wave that has affected that region since the middle of June. Last week, Phoenix registered three record highs, with temperatures in some parts of Nevada and California reaching 120 degrees. Stephen Pyne, a professor in the school of life sciences at Arizona State University, specializing in environmental history and the history of fire itself, says the fires are not in the historic range, but the variety of fires and response to them is remarkable.
KCRW
