Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images Just as the freshly vaccinated start to resume barbecues and vacation travel in the coming months, wildfires are likely to force residents of Western states back inside. The warning signs are written in the parched landscape from New Mexico to California. This time last year, 27 percent of the West was in drought — now that has risen to 76 percent, turning forests into matchsticks. With the pandemic dominating headlines, the severity of the drought has gotten little attention for how bad it has become. “This one threatens to catch people by surprise who are exhausted by the events of the past year,” said