SAN FRANCISCO — California is off to one of its slowest wildfire seasons in years, giving firefighters and fire-prone communities a much-needed break after last year’s huge and destructive infernos. As of Aug. 18, just 24,579 wildland acres have burned so far this year compared with 621,784 at the same time last year, according to Cal Fire. Emergency officials attribute the quieter year, in part, to a wet, cool spring that has tamped down wildfire activity across much of the West. Fire scientists say a return to abundant precipitation the past few years following prolonged drought has helped replenish forest moisture from New Mexico to Idaho. But they warn that the tinder-dry autumn months—when fires in California historically rage at their worst—are around the corner. …A new state record was also set in terms of total land burned on state and federal land: 1.7 million acres. [a WSJ subscription is required to access the full story]