Matthew Brown.

President Donald Trump’s administration is trying to merge the government’s wildland firefighting efforts into a single agency. Some former federal officials warn the change could sow chaos and increase the risk of catastrophic blazes with fire season already underway. Trump’s budget would centralize firefighting efforts now split among five agencies into a single Federal Wildland Fire Service under the U.S. Interior Department. The Trump administration in its first months sharply reduced the ranks of firefighters through layoffs and retirement offers. The personnel declines and reshuffling of agencies come as global makes fires more severe and destructive.