When he sees a column rising from the trees, the first thing he notices is the color. And Mogart has been seeing a lot more trouble this summer.
Forest fires are easier to ignite, burn hotter once they get started and are harder to extinguish.
Three times as many wildfires as normal have been reported in New Jersey this year, and other states are facing similar threats. Virginia has recorded more than 100 forest fires this summer, instead of the usual three or four. Even places that have escaped major forest fires have had small underground fires that burn into the forest floor, where root systems are starved for water. Firefighters must continually check back on blazes that appear to have been extinguished. Fires can start with burning cigarette butts thrown from automobiles, lightning strikes, campfires, arson - even tall grass ignited by an automobile's overheated catalytic converter.