 Authorities out west warned of the rising risk of wildfires as hot conditions and low humidity dry out the landscape amid a protracted heat wave that's expected to bake much of the U.S. again today. California's top fire official said Wednesday that so far this year the wildfires have scorched five times the average vegetation burned through July 10th in each of the last five years. Cal Fire Director Joe Tyler. And as we have said earlier in this year, we are not just in a fire season, but we are in a fire year.