Half of California? It might seem that way, but it is in fact a relatively small area. That area is prime fire country. You have dry brush that contains highly flammable oils. It is an arid region. There are mountains that both act as chimneys and funnel the winds. There is offshore winds called the Santa Ana winds that can exceed 60 MPH. These winds downslope, compressing the air and thus warming it. These are prime ingredients for fires.
This is actually fairly normal for fires of this magnitude to happen. They do not happen every year, any more than the Mississippi floods catastrophically every year or a Katrina hits New Orleans every year. But, every 30 or 40 years, you might expect a drought there that is severe enough to set up tinder conditions. Add in a dry wind and a lightning strike, a carelessly tossed cigarette or campfire not tended to properly, or arson, and you have the recipe for trouble.
No, this is not the end of the world. Remember, the prophecy explicitly stated that there would be no escape from the end. Anyone heading north or east will eventually reach cooler and moister air or open desert, and that would take care of the fire danger. Or, heading toward the ocean, there is no fire there. There are no fires raging in New England or New York State of this magnitude this year. So, there is in fact escape from this disaster.
