Local and state officials Friday painted a dire portrait of what's to come as the state moves into what they say will be one of the worst fire seasons ever.
With California in the grip of a prolonged drought that has only worsened in recent months, the start of summer this weekend has fire safety officials sweating.
"The drought has created a tinderbox," Assemblyman Chris Holden (D-Pasadena) said at a news conference Friday.