In addition to the lightning, which is the main natural cause of fires, this year's raging fires are caused by a variety of complex human-made factors: global warming, people building in fire-prone areas, and more humans lighting fires, either accidentally or intentionally.

Smokey the Bear is a cause of today's catastrophic fires, according to some. His "Only you can prevent forest fires" philosophy sounds reasonable. But wait. Native Americans let the smaller natural fires burn their course; they even started some deliberately.

This "let burn" policy prevented the bigger fires. But the human fear of fire and the attempt to prevent all fires climaxes in catastrophic fires. Some speak of what is happening today as "fire's revenge" and "nature strikes back."

In Canada's "The Gallon Environment Letter," Gary Gallon contends, "Simply put, forest fires can be postponed, but they can never truly be prevented."

In a report entitled "Forest Fires: Beyond the Heat and the Hype" the Sierra Club reports

that "fifty years of aggressive fire suppression by the U.S. government has hindered fire's natural and beneficial processes."

The Sierra Club report states that "by respecting the nature of forest fires and taking sensible steps to recognize their role in a healthy forest, we can protect homes, save American taxpayers money, defuse fire threats and strengthen our nation's forest."