California firefighters are battling a wildfire that spread rapidly this week. The blaze began in the central part of the state near the Nevada state line on Thursday. 

According to the New York Times, it was 10 acres large to start. The Desert Sun stated that it grew to 3,400 acres.

What's happening?

The Pack Fire in California's Mono County is located about 78 miles northeast of Fresno. 

Alison Hesterly, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), told the NYT it was "far too early" to know how long it would take to contain the fire. 

"Part of it is going to be dictated by the wind and how it continues," Hesterly said. 

Knowing which direction the fire was headed would help crews control the wildfire, California's biggest active fire. 

Hesterly continued, "But we can't predict that, because the winds can be a little bit erratic in that area."

The cause of the Pack Fire, which is burning in a remote corner of the eastern Sierra Nevada mountain range, is under investigation. The quick spread of the fire forced officials to issue evacuation orders. Those orders are impacting over 1,700 residents and 1,200 structures.

The Pack Fire was one of seven new large fires burning on Friday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Large fires were burning in at least six states at the end of the week. Crews were battling blazes as far north as Minnesota, as far east as Virginia, and as far south as Arizona.

Why is California's Pack Fire important?

Cal Fire reported that 7,439 wildfires have burned over half a million acres in California this year. Those fires have killed 31 people and destroyed more than 16,000 structures.

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NIFC stated that over 59,000 fires have burned almost 5 million acres in the United States so far this year.

The Pack Fire was sparked in a state where over 21 million people live in an area experiencing drought conditions. Nearly a third of California is in at least a moderate drought, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report. Over half of the West is enduring drought conditions.

What's being done about Western wildfires?

An atmospheric river-fueled storm sweeping off the Pacific Ocean and into southern California should bring much-needed moisture to the region. There will be occasional rain and high-elevation snow where the Pack Fire is burning from Friday through the weekend. This will hopefully help firefighters contain blazes across most of the state.

Our overheating planet is supercharging extreme weather events like drought, which are exacerbating the risk of wildfires. Firefighters battling the Pack Fire will have the weather on their side this weekend. But as our world warms, conditions are becoming more conducive for future fires.

Researchers with non-profit Climate Central analyzed data from 476 weather stations across the contiguous U.S. collected since the early 1970s. 

"Wildfire seasons are lengthening and intensifying, particularly in the western U.S. Parts of the eastern U.S. have seen smaller but impactful increases in fire weather days," according to Climate Central. Its analysis found that "the western U.S. has experienced a strong increase in the average annual number of fire weather days since 1973."

Exploring critical climate issues and sharing information about them with family and friends can help raise awareness. Supporting policymakers who care about the future of our planet can also make a difference.

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