Good morning.

(If you don’t already get California Today by email, here’s the sign-up.)

In three days, 600 fires have ignited across California as high winds and mandatory evacuations have forced dozens of residents from their homes. The Kincade Fire, the largest to start this week, tore through 16,000 acres within hours, leaving Sonoma County firefighters with little opportunity to stop or slow the flames. Many Northern California residents faced the twin threat of fires and deliberate power outages intended to mitigate the blazes.

In Southern California, 50,000 people were evacuated in Los Angeles County as the Tick Fire, a fast-moving brush fire near Santa Clarita, threatened residential neighborhoods. The flames there were fanned by the Santa Ana winds, which meteorologists said could continue through the weekend.

[Read more about how California’s “demonized” winds shape wildfire season.]

All of this comes after three straight years of record-breaking fires and increased strain and uncertainty for residents and officials. Hotter temperatures around the country are drying out vegetation and resulting in more wildfires, according to the National Climate Assessment, a government report. Researchers say the blazes are likely to continue in a warming world, raising a dire question: How do we live in an ecosystem that is primed to burn?

Follow our latest updates on the Kincade and Tick fires.

[And follow local news coverage of the fires at KQED, The Lake County News, The Los Angeles Times, The Marin Independent Journal, The Mendocino Voice, The Mercury News, The Press Democrat, The San Francisco Chronicle and The Santa Clarita Valley Signal.]