US: Increase in western wildfires fuels Obama’s budget move

US President Obama announced plans Monday to change how the federal government manages the rising costs of fighting wildfires. According to his proposal, the federal agencies largely responsible for fighting wildfires will be able to draw from a special disaster account, similar to the way other federal disasters like earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and floods are funded.

The move toward more consistent funding for tackling wildfires comes at a time when the West is seeing a dramatic increase in the number and size of wildfires burning each year across the region.