Barbara Blonder has been a bit worried about her parents’ house, which sits near a Cypress swamp outside St. Augustine, Florida.

In a normal year, the saturated wetlands would protect her mom and dad from the threat of wildfires, says Ms. Blonder, vice mayor of the centuries-old historic city on Florida’s eastern coast.

But like numerous states across the nation, Florida is in the midst of a severe drought spanning the entire state, and that has fueled a large number of wildfires unusually early in this year’s season of heaviest wildfire risk.

Why We Wrote This

Winter conditions usually tamp down wildfire risk. But across the U.S., drought and heat have set the table for hungry fires. Some states prone to wildfires are beginning to embrace controlled burns that give fires less fuel when they do start.

“If a fire gets going in there, the potential for an ember to reach their house and land on the roof is entirely possible,” says Ms.…