Firefighters battling the West Coast wildfires say this year's blazes are some of the worst they have ever seen.

They say the fires are taxing the human, mechanical and financial resources of the nation’s wildfire fighting forces to an extraordinary degree. And half of the fire season is yet to come.

Heat, drought and a strategic decision to attack the flames early combined with the coronavirus to put a historically heavy burden on fire teams.

Justin Silvera is a 43-year-old battalion chief with Cal Fire, California’s state firefighting agency. He says new fires break out before existing ones are contained.