While East Coasters are heading off for their August vacations, many families out West are worried that if they leave their home, it may not be standing when they return. That’s the reality when there have been 4,500 wildfires this year so far.

It’s hard for Easterners even to appreciate how dry the West is and how easy it is to start a massive fire. This year’s fires have so far burned more than 400,000 acres, a land area equivalent to Denver and Los Angeles combined. The wreckage and smoke is so bad that it can be seen from space, and fires in California and Washington state can cloud the skies as far away as Idaho and Montana.