LOS ANGELES, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Though with nearly three weeks left still for 2017 to come to an end, it has already been marked as one of the worst years in California's history in terms of wildfires.
Cal Fire, the firefighting agency of the Golden State, reported that more than 6,700 fires had burnt down over 500,000 acres (2,023 square km)from the beginning of the year to Dec. 3.
In addition, the past week saw another 230,000 acres (931 square km)scorched by the still-out-of-control fire in southern California, surpassing the state's five-year average of burnt land area, which is 200,000 acres (809 square km) per year.
Governor Jerry Brown on Saturday called the constant threat of wildfire a "new normal" for California, blaming climate change.
The extreme weather patterns in California, such as high temperatures and droughts, create a lethally ideal conditions for wildfire breakouts.
"Wildfires can strike anywhere in the state," Cal Fire deputy chief Scott McLean told the Post. "It's not 'if,' it's basically 'when.' And it' s not gonna stop."
