Wildfire seasons are starting earlier and getting longer

Fire season in Alberta, Canada, typically begins March 1. This year, the province officially declared the start of the season more than a week in advance, on Feb. 20.More than 150 fires are smoldering in parts of western Canada while firefighters in the Texas Panhandle have spent over a week battling the largest wildfire in the state’s history — blazes that follow a pattern in recent years of wildfire seasons kicking off earlier than expected.Wintertime fires are not altogether uncommon in these parts of the world, but the elements that fuel these winter wildfires are exacerbated by…