California Governor Jerry Brown says human-caused climate change is probably the main reason wildfires are scorching large parts of San Diego County at this time of year.
Brown told CNN that climate change is the reason why the California fire season is now 70 days longer than it was in the past. He says high winds and dry conditions make fires larger and more devastating.
Brown: “Those conditions are definitely caused by climate change, global warming induced by human activity.”
Brown has issued a state of emergency for the affected region, which will free up extra resources to fight the fires. Nine fires have scorched about 10,000 acres in San Diego County so far.
Evacuation orders have been sent to tens of thousands of residents across San Diego County.