https://www.shraboise.com/2017/09/91317-10-m-policy-u-s-fore...
Other factors are compounding this:
- Diseased forests. Largely beatle infestations and factors such as oak blight. These and similar affect much of the West.
- Monsoon/drought cycles. These both lead to more fuel (monsoon) and drier fuel (drought).
- Weather is a factor. Low humidities (in the past week, down into the teens) and high winds. Disruption of the Jet Stream may be exacerbating this.
- Climate: Shorter wet seasons, longer dry seasons, and more variable weather cycles (heavier rains, stronger winds, lower humidities) don't help.
- Human factors: encroachment on the wilderness interface, ignition sources, building codes, transport routes, etc., effect both frequency and impacts. Many fires are of natural origin, thought that's only about 15%. How much that percentage has changed since 1930 I don't know.
NB: general information and perceptions, though they should stand up.
LA Times lists several of these factors: https://www.latimes.com/local/wildfires/la-me-g-california-f...
This wildfire fighter veteran gives fuel and weather principally: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/j5nde4/a-veteran-firefigh...
That's similar to a long conversation I'd had with a retired forestry worker in 2007. Chance encounter on a road trip, he talked about the idiocy of total suppression policy at the time. Unfortunately, not citable, though it was a very memorable discussion.
Ignition sources: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-10-29/how-do-w...