1.   And, Western wildfires are burning larger and hotter.

2.   Between the Mississippi floods, the western wildfires and hurricanes ravaging the East Coast, insurers have taken billions of dollars in losses in recent years.

3.   More residents from rural communities near Yosemite National Park were chased from their homes as wind-whipped blazes made northern California a hot spot for Western wildfires.

4.   Rain also helped firefighters get the upper hand against other Western wildfires, including several in Oregon and Washington.