California is the US state most affected by wildfires as of 2023, according to the National Interagency Coordination Center. Extreme heat and longer droughts have driven more intense fires, and that has prompted insurance companies to flee.

Rows of cars at a dealership, blasted by flames, looked like they had been bombed. A man wearing a mask walked by debris of a neighborhood destroyed. A couple, arms around each other, looked at what was left of their smoldering home. A statue of a human, without a head, lay on a street.