Why fire "season" doesn't end

How many Americans do you think live in a wildfire risk zone? The answer, a third of the US population. This number used to be one in six. And fire season is only growing.

>> Now to the dry and hot conditions fueling dozens of wildfires in the West.

>> This fire burning so hot it's creating its own erratic weather system. This fire just one of hundreds burning across North America right now.

>> On average, a whole month has been added to fire season in parts of the western US. It starts earlier, it goes longer.

We can have fires any time of the year. >> Fire season is now fire year.

>> Right now across the American West, as we're entering some of the worst fire conditions we've ever faced this season, we also have some of the lowest staffing that we've ever had for wilder firefighters. That's a recipe for disaster.

And while the government does share some wildfire data, it doesn't always tell the story on the ground, specifically around the health and well-being of those protecting the most rural parts of America, the wildland

firefighters. >> Working 16-hour days in extreme heat, sleeping in smoke, breathing smoke, that takes a toll on your body.