The number of acres that had burned in the U.S. by the end of September, nearly 4.5 million fewer acres than the same period last year and just 40 percent of the 10-year average. Experts believe that last winter’s massive snow packs and the El Niño contributed to the reprieve, but warned that a wet fire season could be a “double-edged sword” in that it provides immediate relief but encourages more growth in the lower and middle elevations, which can become an overabundance of fuel in a regular dry summer.
