Both long-term climatic patterns and short-term weather conditions combined to create an environment conducive to a large and uncontrollable wildfire in late August 1992. Between 1987 and 1992, California experienced a six-year drought in the state's first extended such period since the 1920s and 1930s. All six years ranked in the driest ten percent by runoff, and the stress on forests led to widespread bark beetle infestation.
