Why have the wildfires been so bad this year? Much lower rainfall and thus much drier foliage?
Winds. It got insanely windy.
We just had rain enough last winter to bust an 11 year drought.
California, for the most part, is nowhere near as "dry" as during the past decade.
During one of the power blackouts (which luckily I wasn't subjected to) I aborted a motorcycle ride for the first time in my life because of winds.
In the middle of Sacramento County.
And I've owned 8 motorcycles, been riding since 1987...