in the past, meaning before Europeans arrived and started building so much stuff, would there have been similar extensive wildfires? That is, how much as recent development, meaning lots and lots of structures to burn, made a difference? I am NOT trying to blame the fires on the development, but am just wondering.

I am also aware the the topography is a huge factor.

Some have been started by electrical lines, lightning, campfires not completely put out, car crashes, etc. All of these are due to man made causes except lightning. CA is really a desert, at least the southern half of the state. Mexico has had many fires too. The problem is the dry weather and Santa Ana winds at the same time. People clear areas around their homes like they are told to do but it wasn't a guarantee to save homes. The canyons are scary since they create their own micro weather and make the fires grow quickly.

I am hesitant to open my door each morning expecting to smell smoke and see diffused light. This is an unheard of a length of time to see such constantly strong Santa Ana winds and in the month of Dec. The weather is changing a lot and quickly, especially in the last 10 years. It is noticeable.

and I'm not sure I've seen anything about the origins of any of them.

Something else I'm not seeing addressed is how long it's going to take to rebuild. On one hand there are going to be a lot of construction jobs, but on the other there are only so many workers available. On the third hand, California has been through this before, since wildfires are a part of their ecology. Again, I'm not attempting to be cavalier about this, just trying to wrap my head around it all.

I live in New Mexico and we likewise have wildfires here, but because so very many few people live here (we're 36th in terms of population with just over two million, and 5th largest in size) when we do have them very little damage is done to homes or other structures. A couple of times in recent years fires have gotten close to or even into Los Alamos, where there's a lot of nuclear material stored. Fortunately those buildings didn't burn which is a pretty good thing.

One final question. Is there very much of a chance that any of the fires, either now or in the near future, could threaten the downtown of any major city?

Fires in the past have hit heavily populated areas. In the 2003 and 2007 fires over 3,000 homes and structures were destroyed and the fires' embers blew across 15 lanes of a major freeway merge. That makes everything in their paths targets. When the fires make their own micro climate they create even more wind on top of the Santa Ana winds which blow from East to West. Being on the ocean doesn't help when the fires burn toward the West. They burn everything in their path up to the beach.

People do rebuild with tile roofs and they have succulents as ground cover and clear the land around their property of dry brush. It is the law now. Even that doesn't help when the conditions are against you. This is the second driest Summer and Fall in history and it comes after a Winter of record rainfall ending the 5 year drought. New plants grew as a result and they have turned into kindling.

This IS climate change. There are more people with new allergies, tons of biting bugs, and schools are on alert. We all have emergency bags at home (they were for earthquakes, now they are also for fires).

Meanwhile the fucking moron scrubbed all mention of climate change from govt documents...as if that will make it go away suddenly and they do not need to prepare the country for it.