Passage Summary: Even though dry weather causes many more grass fires, those fires actually end up costing less money than the fewer fires that happen when rainfall is normal.

Reasoning: Rain is the only way to stop grass fires, and droughts lead to more fires; however, the total financial damage from these fires is lower during severe droughts than during periods of normal rain.

Analysis: The paradox here is the inverse relationship between the number of fires and the total financial damage. To resolve this, look for an answer that explains why drought-related fires are less 'expensive.' Perhaps in a severe drought, there is less vegetation to burn, leading to smaller, less intense fires, or perhaps these fires occur in remote areas where there is less valuable property to destroy.