California Wildfires Triple Amid Drought After Record 2020 Fire Season On 5/19/21 at 7:34 AM EDT The flames that burned more than 1,300 acres in Los Angeles County over the weekend served as a reminder to California residents that wildfires have become a constant threat rather than a concern relegated to the officially recognized wildfire season of the late summer and fall months. By early May, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) reported at least 9,392 acres burned since the start of the year—more than three times the five-year average Cal Fire reported over the same time period in previous years. The number of acres burned so far this year exceeded 13,900 when combined with the number of burned acres reported by Cal Fire's partner agencies.