Thom porter is a Fire Chief for CAL FIRE, the Californian state fire department. With 20 years experience fighting fires and an academic background in forestry, Thom has noticed changes over the years in both the weather and vegetation fire patterns in California.

With temperatures getting even hotter and drier, earlier snowmelts and increased storm weather, an already vulnerable landscape is becoming even more prone to fires. In 2009 a devastating station fire broke out in Los Angeles, which saw 160,000 acres of land burn, and 10,000 homes evacuated before the fire season had even officially begun.

While fires have always happened in California and there are many ways a fire can start, it is the growing frequency and intensity that is of great concern, especially for densely populated areas like Los Angeles.

Learn more at www.greenpeace.org.

And, visit Link TV's Climate Change pages.

Thom porter is a Fire Chief for CAL FIRE, the Californian state fire department. With 20 years experience fighting fires and an academic background in forestry, Thom has noticed changes over the years in both the weather and vegetation fire patterns in California.

With temperatures getting even hotter and drier, earlier snowmelts and increased storm weather, an already vulnerable landscape is becoming even more prone to fires. In 2009 a devastating station fire broke out in Los Angeles, which saw 160,000 acres of land burn, and 10,000 homes evacuated before the fire season had even officially begun.

While fires have always happened in California and there are many ways a fire can start, it is the growing frequency and intensity that is of great concern, especially for densely populated areas like Los Angeles.

Learn more at www.greenpeace.org.

And, visit Link TV's Climate Change pages.