Southwest Fires Explained

Widespread drought is helping feed forest fires across the US Southwest this year — and offering a glimpse at the region’s future.

Temperatures have already risen by more than two degrees Fahrenheit in some areas, melting vital snowpacks and increasing water evaporation — leaving behind drier soils. Climate change is expected to continue amplifying these trends.

Storyful's Samuel Oakford breaks down how fires are starting earlier, and can burning more intensely. And in warmer decades to come, expanded fire seasons will increasingly threaten some of the fastest growing regions of North America.