"Firefighters Face Risky 'New Normal' in Wildfire Behavior"

"RENO, Nev. -- Todd McNeal, chief of Twain Harte Fire and Rescue, spoke before his fellow firefighters and foresters last week with the tone of an evangelist. 'There is fundamental change that has occurred around us,' said McNeal, his voice rising to fill a dimly lit casino resort conference hall.

McNeal, who in 2013 spent three weeks helping to fight the 257,000-acre Rim fire, pulled up a slide and read a few sobering statistics. Four out of the five biggest wildfires ever seen in his home state of California burned in the last decade, he said.

'What about Colorado -- anybody from Colorado?' McNeal asked. A few hands went up. 'You guys have been replacing your 'worst-ever' fire every year.'"

Elizabeth Harball reports for ClimateWire March 31, 2015.

SEE ALSO:

"Officials Battle Dozens of Forest Fires Since Mid-March" (AP)

"Southern California Wildfire Sparked By Controlled Burn" (AP)

"Wildfire Burns 500+ Acres Near Asheville" (WTVD)

"Wildfire Chars More Than 30 Acres in Augusta County" (Newsplex)

"Montana Wildfire Continues, But Evacuation Lifted for Ski Resort" (Washington Post)

"Southwest Wildfire Season Begins" (Tucson News Now)