‘Double-edged sword’: why the badly needed rains in California could fuel catastrophic fires

The Tuolumne River flows under highway 99 near Modesto, California, after downpours. Photograph: Marty Bicek/Zuma Press Wire/Rex/Shutterstock

Deep underneath the sodden soils and the berms of snow that now coat California, fuels for fire are waiting to sprout. Grasses and other quick-growing vegetation, spurred by the downpours that saturated the state at the start of the year, quickly turn to kindling as the weather warms.

“When that rain comes – and it came last month – that results in significant fuel load increases,” said Isaac Sanchez, a CalFire battalion chief. “[Plants] are going to grow, they are going to die, and then they are going to become flammable fuel as the year grinds on.”