Russ Steele
Here is a more scientific view of the droughts enabling the fires. The lack to hurricanes! Read this analysis by Ryan Maue from the Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies.
A non-global warming explanation for the lack of moisture/drought in the US Southwest deals with the lack of Hurricane activity in the Eastern Pacific basin. The moisture, upper-level outflow, and accentuation of the monsoon can all be traced back partially to EPAC storms, which are highly sensitive to SST conditions in the equatorial Pacific (ENSO). Simple reanalysis calculations for inactive minus active EPAC seasons shows very significant deficits of monthly mean cloud water, precipitable water, and surface specific humidity (among a host of other variables) for Aug-Sept months over the US Southwest.
Caution, this analysis requires a little brain work. No political sound bites here, only some interesting analysis of the real world and what the lack of hurricanes have to do with SoCal drought.