What happened in LA last month? On that, basically everyone agrees: devastating wildfires that killed at least 29 people and cost at least $100 billion.

But why did those fires burn so intensely for so long? I had my own view, but I don’t follow fires closely. So I talked to Matt Weiner, CEO and founder of Megafire Action.

We discuss:

* California knows it has a fire problem. Why can’t it control it?

* Where does mechanical thinning work, and where doesn’t it?

* What tools from the Department of Defense should we be using in firefighting?

* Do we need more money to fight fires?

* Why do the country’s biggest environmental groups oppose fire mitigation?

For the full transcript of this conversation and others, visit www.statecraft.pub.

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