Wildfires Scorch American West

By Andrew Miiller • July 1, 2026

The worst megadrought in 1,200 years is fueling wildfires across the Western United States. At least 79 wildfires are burning in 10 states, with thick smoke plumes stretching for hundreds of miles.

In Colorado and Utah, officials have declared emergencies after blazes grew rapidly over the weekend.

Three firefighters in a helicopter crew trained to attack new fires died Saturday while battling a fire along the border.
Utah fire officials say the Cottonwood Fire, which has scorched nearly 100,000 acres and destroyed about 150 buildings, may be the most destructive in the state’s history.
A warm winter left little snow, and ongoing drought has turned grass, brush and trees into fuel.
This year’s early fire activity is roughly double the 10-year average due to a 26-year-long megadrought afflicting about a dozen Western states.

A study published in the journal Science found the 19 years from 2000 to 2018 were the driest in the Southwestern U.S. since the late 1500s and the second-driest since a.d. 800. The study used tree-ring data to reconstruct summer soil moisture. This drought has only gotten worse since 2018.

Previous megadroughts contributed to the falls of the Mayan, Cahokian and Aztec civilizations. These droughts were not caused by automobile or power plant emissions. Still, they may have been caused by immoral human activity, as the Mayans, Cahokians, and Aztecs were involved in many pagan rituals, such as human sacrifice.

God told Abraham that He would drive the Canaanites out of the Promised Land because of their sins (Genesis 15:16). He told Moses that He would drive the Israelites out of the Promised Land if they followed the sins of the Canaanites (Leviticus 26:38-39). This proves God punishes wicked societies.

Herbert W. Armstrong proved in The United States and Britain in Prophecy that the U.S. and Britain descended from the ancient Israelite tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim. Prophecies in Leviticus 26, Joel 1 and Amos 4 show that God will send drought on modern-day Israel if its people break their covenant with Him.