This summer has been a part of what is on track to be one of California's  worst wildfire years of all time: After five years of drought, California's forests have dried up, causing some 5,375 wildfires  this year to date. The Los Angeles Times reported that the first half of 2016 saw  twice as many acres burned than all of 2015. On August 27th, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire)  reported that about 4,270 fires had burned more than 183,000 acres in their jurisdiction-up from 3,904 fires on that day last year. While most fires happen on less-developed land, the ones that occur where homes meet wildland vegetation are often harder and costlier to fight, as firefighters try to salvage properties. Fires caused by dry conditions and brutal heat waves have scorched many homes and thousands of acres, and the worst  has yet to come as peak fire season starts in September.

This leaves firefighters battling larger, more frequent fires in the state. I spoke with Armando Alvarez, who has been a firefighter at Cal Fire for 15 years, about the challenges of predicting how to put out fires as they crop up more often, the stress that accompanies emergency calls, and what it was like to work an 18-day shift. The interview that follows has been lightly edited for length and clarity.    READ FULL STORY