Why do we hear about Forrest fires in the eastern region and central mountainous regions of the United States?

Question

Why do horrific fires only appear to affect the highly populated areas of California?

Answer 1

Because a greater concentration of wooded areas with old growth are in the western parts of the nation, and those areas are the ones which catch fire more easily.

Answer 2

Because they are only dangerous, and hence news-worthy, when people and houses are nearby.

Also, there are larger uninterupted tracts of forest on teh west coast than on the east.

Answer 3

We have fires in the east. You just don't here about them because it's mostly small towns.

Answer 4

The last fire in the Everglades was in 1990....

Main reason they occur is because the brush gets dry enough to ignite. The everglades tend to be moist, as does most of the eastern US.

Answer 5

Horrific fires don't only occur in populated areas of California. The occur all over the west. I have done some forest fire fighting in Washington, it was in eastern Washington, where no one lived. The fire was 170,000 acres. The fires in California right now are only getting this much press because people live there. If no one lives there, than no one cares.

The east does burn. The largest forest fire in North American History was in New Brunswick, Canada, 1825. I believe a 1/3 of the entire province burned in one fire (3 million acres).  Fire cycles in the east are much farther apart than in the west.

Answer 6

because charles said so!

Answer 7

Because the climate is warmer in those areas, and so forest fires are common there because they happen naturally.

Answer 8

Too many towns and roads in the east, so its easier to put them out.   Our trees aren't as big as most of the ones out there, and we have a wetter climate than the areas that burn most.

Answer 9

Because it is news. I, for one,like to know what's going on in the US.

Answer 10

probably because that part of the county is the most dry

Answer 11

Do you know of any others we should know about?

Answer 12

Fires are a natural part of the cycle in that area. In fact the giant redwood trees that area is famous for will only drop its seeds when there is smoke in the air. The west is also famous for the geysers and other volcanic activity.

I don't know about the Rockies but the smokey mountains have lots of natural cold water springs, creeks, and waterfalls. It's hard for fires to spread with so many natural deterrents. They do have the occasional forest fire but not on such a large scale. This side of the country is just too wet unlike the desert climate of the west. Although with our recent drought I'm surprised there hasn't been many fires. More than usual but less than I expected. (It's raining now though :)  )