The majority reason the fires are burning like they do is the overgrowth of vegetation. When there are literally hundreds of times more dense fuels that a century ago, you will have larger, and more intense fires. Add to this the fact that the USFS has drastically changed the fire fighting tactics. They would much rather sit on a road miles away and backfire than actually attack the fire. How does the USFS fight a grease fire in the kitchen? They light a backfire in the living room.