On the night of August 15, 2020, over 300 lightning strikes occurred throughout various parts of Northern California, which triggered a siege of uncontrollable wildfires. The California wildfires in 2020 resulted in the start of 10,000 fires over the course of the year, which ultimately burned over 4.2 million acres across the state.
Rubin writes that the 2020 California Wildfires served as a massive learning curve for the state in managing extreme climate events alongside the COVID-19 pandemic. The author spotlights how the chaotic health management and conflicting mask recommendations increased the complexity of juggling numerous major crises.