A hammer started the largest wildfire in California history

410,203 acres burned.

Last summer, the Ranch Fire — which was part of a greater complex of fires — ripped through Northern California, smashing the previous, short-lived record for the largest wildfire in state history by some 128,000 acres.

And it all started because a hammer, used to drive a stake into the ground, tossed either sparks or bits of hot metal onto the parched land. The Golden State's fire protection agency, Cal Fire, revealed the historic conflagration's cause Thursday and posted the incident report online.

That the use of a simple tool is responsible for igniting the Ranch Fire highlights how extreme fire conditions were last year, and how the Western U.S. overall is experiencing a significant hike in conditions ripe for flames. A warmer climate means more dry, flame-susceptible vegetation. Read more...

More about Science, California, Climate Change, Wildfires, and Fires

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