Funny the heat wave weather forecast near Portland, Oregon seems to change with the status of forest fires. This area never has this many weeks of scorching temperatures.
Fires are increasing in our country in general at an alarming rate. When I was young, it was very rare to see evidence of fires along Interstate 5. Now, there are handfuls of spots. Are people STILL tossing lit smokes out windows? Utterly stupid!
Regarding arson, I advocate for cruel and unusual punishment for those convicted, when the conviction is undebatable. Same with terrorism. Including mass shootings. Society-detroying crimes have gotten out of hand. We could use a dose of Japanese or Arabian discipline.
Forest fires have always existed, but not on the scale of the last few years. Something is very wrong and out of balance.