An Existential Challenge for Smokey the Bear

It’s another hot, dry year in the Western United States. At least 36 massive wildfires are raging in Oregon, Utah, Idaho, California, Nevada, Arizona and Colorado. The biggest of all has led to a federal state of emergency in Washington State, where the fast-moving Carlton Complex Fire has covered 400 square miles — an area four times the size of Seattle. The town of Pateros is almost completely destroyed.