Massive Wildfires Rage in Arizona as Drought Worsens Across Western United States

In eastern Arizona, fire crews are battling two massive wildfires that have consumed more than 177,000 acres. The fires come as climate scientists say the western United States is suffering the second-worst drought in 1,200 years, brought on by a combination of natural dry cycles and human-induced climate change. Lake Mead, the largest freshwater reservoir in the United States, along the Colorado River, is less than 36% full — its lowest level ever. Meanwhile, nearly 2 million people in the San Francisco Bay Area were placed under a water shortage emergency Wednesday as California’s drought continued to worsen.