Castaic Lake
The dried-out vegetation is even more pronounced around Castaic Lake. The reservoir sits about 35 miles (56 kilometers) north of downtown Los Angeles. Southern California is where much of the early-season fire activity has centered. Cal Fire has recorded 3,151 wildfires to date along with 17,273 acres burned. It’s a relatively paltry amount compared to the 4.4 million acres that burned in 2020, a season that spawned the state’s first gigafire in modern history, turned skies blood-red in San Francisco, and destroyed 10% of all the world’s giant sequoias. But it’s bad news because the peak of fire season is still months away, in fall, when the Santa Ana and Diablo winds usually fan flames. Firefighters are already gearing up for a busy season.
