There are 3,000 firefighters assembled in Ventura County alone; when they finish their shifts digging firebreaks and hosing down vulnerable terrain, many sleep in tents at the fairgrounds. Of the state’s 20 largest wildfires over the past century, 13 have occurred since 2002, according to Cal Fire. Already, the current fire in Ventura County has cost $17 million, officials said late Friday. On a per-capita basis, California has the sixth largest firefighting budget among states, according to the Urban Institute. Some experts believe that the emphasis should be to make communities more resilient to fire, rather than buying more firefighting equipment.

Source: New York Times December 09, 2017 01:08 UTC