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Firefighters are working 24- to 36-hour shifts to put out several large fires across the state, often with little rest between assignments. For many, the strain of this recent spate of blazes has been compounded with a wildfire season that has become year-round and more intense.

“There used to be a rhythm to this, and you could at least count on that rhythm,” said Brian Rice, who retired from fighting fires in 2011 and is now president of California Professional Firefighters, a statewide union.

Since 2012, there has not been a month without a wildfire, according to state emergency management officials. The intensity of the fires has appeared to increase as well; the fires in 2017 were among the most destructive in California’s history, leaving 46 people dead and causing nearly $12 billion in damage.

Mike Daw, the executive director of the Firefighters Burn Institute, which works with injured firefighters through the U.C. Davis Burn Unit in Sacramento, said that firefighters often do not report injuries that might sideline them. Those injuries are often exacerbated over time, especially because mutual assistance programs in California mean that firefighters can end up battling fires all over the state.