California fires are burning at higher elevations than ever, creating new dangers
![](https://calscientists.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Caldor-Fire.jpg)
Los Angeles Times / Bakersfield Californian
A worrisome trend driven by California’s warming climate has emerged, in which rapid snowmelt and critical dryness are propelling wildfires to ever-higher elevations, scorching terrain that previously was too wet to burn and threatening countless residents.