"WASHINGTON -- Western U.S. residents could endure two more lethal wildfire seasons before the implementation of a widely-praised fix to how the federal government funds fighting and preventing wildfires.

The fix, included in federal budget legislation approved last week, was hailed as a long-sought antidote to funding troubles that have plagued the region’s firefighting efforts for years.

Wildfires killed a record 46 people in California and destroyed or damaged more than 10,000 structures in the state last year. Officials have warned without proper prevention 2018 could be even worse."

Kate Irby reports for McClatchy March 27, 2018. [2]