California Fires

Both governments and people tend to adopt only short-term responses to wildfire dangers that don't necessarily reduce risk effectively—it's time for that to change.

• By Max Mortiz, Naomi Tague & Sarah Anderson

Studies show that removing trees actually make fires more intense, wreaking further havoc on both human and wildlife habitat.

• By Emily Moon

A selection of recent Pacific Standard stories on wildfires and their consequences.

• By Rebecca Worby

New findings could help unravel the larger mystery of how pollution affects produce.

• By Sophie Yeo

The 2018 fire season in California is already shaping up to be worst than last year's, which cost the state a record $10 billion in damages.

• By Kate Wheeling

Without rain, high temperatures will keep the smoke coming—and could spur new fire growth.

• By Eric Holthaus