The fire is part of a string of recent megafires in the Golden State, and is expected to grow further. All besides one of the 20 biggest wildfires recorded in California occurred after the year 2000, per the state's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection data.
Months of record heat and dry weather, combined with vegetation growth after last winter's heavy rains and mountain snows, has provided abundant fuel for the fire to burn. The Park Fire grew at staggering rates of more than 100,000 acres per day, particularly during the first few days of its ignition.
Climate 'whiplash,' featuring sudden oscillations between drought and flood, is worsening in California as the climate warms. This trend is likely to continue, studies show, and it may create conditions that are ideal for more large wildfires in the future, including this season.
There may even have been fire tornadoes embedded within the blaze. July will go down in history as not just the hottest July on record for many cities in the West - particularly in California - but the hottest month of any month since records began.
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