Away from California’s coastline, the interior hillsides are a carpet of brown, dry brush and grasses.

Nearly 40% of the state is in drought, and with the state’s Santa Ana and Diablo winds set to pick up in the coming weeks, any errant spark threatens to race across a landscape ready to ignite.

“The grass levels are very thick, and the brush is very dry,” said David Acuna, spokesman and battalion chief for California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire, comparing the state to a haystack.

California started 2025 with tragedy on the fire front, as 31 people died in the Los Angeles area from the Eaton and Palisades fires in January. The fires were the state’s second- and third-most destructive, according to Cal Fire. In all, 6,504 fires have burned so far in 2025

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