2004 Fire Season to be Extreme: Optimism in American West Evaporates

Washington (HDW) May 24, 2004 - Months ago, national fire managers predicted that the 2004 wildfire season would be a bad one in the Western U.S. Now, they are changing their forecast: It’s going to be even worse than they had suspected.
Because of unseasonably warm temperatures in March and April, the potential loss of heavy air tankers for safety reasons and a continuing multi-year drought, Western U.S. states are facing the possibility of another devastating fire season.