Wildfires

Last year was the hottest year on record, the top 10 hottest years were all in the past decade and planet-heating carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are at an 800,000-year high, a report Wednesday said. In its annual State of... Read More

Crews battled wildfires in North and South Carolina on Sunday amid dry conditions and gusty winds as residents were forced to evacuate in some areas. The National Weather Service warned of increased fire danger in the region due to a... Read More

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Debris flows brought on by the strongest atmospheric river of the season swept a car off a southern California highway and into the ocean and left roads submerged in sludge. While the heavy rains from the storm hitting the... Read More

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California Republicans are pushing back against suggestions by President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans that federal disaster aid for victims of wildfires that ravaged Southern California should come with strings attached, possibly jeopardizing the president's... Read More

As fires continue to burn across Los Angeles, several utilities have declared their drinking water unsafe until extensive testing can prove otherwise. A warmer, drier climate means wildfires are getting worse, and encroaching on cities — with devastating impact. Toxic chemicals from those burns... Read More

LOS ANGELES (AP) — After making some progress battling wildfires that destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 24 people in the Los Angeles area, firefighters prepared for a return of dangerous winds that could again stoke the flames. The relative... Read More

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The NFL has moved the Rams' wild-card playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings to Arizona after days of devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area. The game will be played Monday night at State Farm Stadium, the home... Read More

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Wildfires tore across the Los Angeles area with devastating force Wednesday after setting off a desperate escape from burning homes through flames, ferocious winds and towering clouds of smoke. The flames from a fire that broke out Tuesday... Read More

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The strongest winds in more than a decade could hit Southern California on Tuesday, potentially causing structural damage and bringing extreme fire risk to areas that haven't seen substantial rain in months. Beginning Tuesday afternoon, the windstorm will... Read More

MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — Weather conditions were forecast to improve this week in Southern California, aiding firefighters in their battle against a wind-driven wildfire that's forced up to 20,000 people — including performers Cher, Dick Van Dyke and his wife — from... Read More

MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters battled a wildfire early Tuesday in Malibu that prompted evacuations near Pepperdine University, where students sheltering at the school's library watched as the fire intensified and the sky turn deep red. “Just seeing the flames... Read More

RINGWOOD, N.J. (AP) — Fire crews battled small wildfires across the Northeast U.S. on Monday, including a blaze in New York and New Jersey that killed a parks employee over the weekend and postponed Veterans Day plans. A quarter-inch of... Read More

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — Southern California firefighters working to contain a wildfire that has destroyed 132 structures in two days could be assisted by a forecast of fierce wind gusts easing early Friday, officials said. The Mountain Fire started Wednesday morning in Ventura County... Read More

A fast-moving wildfire burning through the Texas Panhandle grew into the second-largest blaze in state history Wednesday, forcing evacuations and triggering power outages as firefighters struggled to contain the widening flames. The sprawling blaze was part of a cluster of... Read More

WAILUKU, Hawaii (AP) — Wildfires fueled by a dry summer and strong winds from a passing hurricane killed 36 people and destroyed hundreds of homes and other buildings on the Hawaiian island of Maui, in the deadliest blaze in the U.S. in... Read More

HONOLULU (AP) — Wildfires in Hawaii fanned by strong winds burned multiple structures in areas including historic Lahaina town, forcing evacuations and closing schools in several communities Wednesday, and rescuers pulled a dozen people escaping smoke and flames from the ocean. The... Read More

NEW YORK (AP) — People around the world are living longer, healthier lives than they were just half a century ago. Climate change threatens to undo that progress. Across the planet, animals — and the diseases they carry — are... Read More

WASHINGTON — Firefighters from across the nation gathered for a rally at the U.S. Capitol Tuesday to urge Congress to fund the research and development of PFAS-free protective gear and fire extinguishing equipment. “We need to get these toxic carcinogens... Read More

MISSOULA, Mont. — An environmental group is suing the U.S. Forest Service for the flame retardant it drops on western wildfires, saying the chemical pollutes waterways and violates the Clean Water Act.  The Forest Service dropped more than 761,000 gallons... Read More

GAITHERSBURG, Md. — For many, summertime means relaxing in their backyard behind the privacy of a large wooden fence and the beauty of a well-mulched flower bed. A new study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, however, suggests... Read More

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Carbon released during an epic series of wildfire seasons in California has effectively wiped out most of the 100-year buffer that had been built into the state’s carbon trading system, a new study has found. According to... Read More

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Pacific Gas & Electric pleaded not guilty Thursday to felony involuntary manslaughter charges after a Northern California fire caused by its electrical transmission lines burned 87 square miles of land and killed four residents. Prosecutors acknowledge criminal... Read More

WASHINGTON — While firefighters were battling a blaze near Elk River, Idaho, in 2021 an unknown voice came over the radio waves they were using to coordinate an airplane to help fight the fire. The U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement... Read More

WASHINGTON — Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., unveiled legislation that would up the scale of controlled burns to mitigate the effects of severe wildfires nationwide. The bill, entitled the “National Prescribed... Read More

When the first fire of the season broke out on the Hoopa Valley Reservation in Northern California in July, Greg Moon faced a dilemma. As Hoopa’s fire chief and its pandemic team leader, Moon feared the impact of the blaze... Read More

District Chief Paul Duarte’s team, the first to reach the Pine Gulch fire as it began spreading across western Colorado about three weeks ago, put months of planning to the test as they prepared to battle their first major wildfire... Read More

PARADISE, Calif. — Chainsaws were humming and backhoes were beeping. Wood frames were being hammered into place. It was the sound of Paradise rebuilding, one nail at a time. “I love it up here — it’s beautiful,” said Holly Austin,... Read More