Latest Wildfire Headlines

All the headlines from our Wildfire Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Bill to Address California Wildfire And Insurance Crises Moving Through Legislature

Apr 30 2025 // A California Assembly committee advanced a bill designed to deal with the state’s wildfire and insurance crises. The California Safe Homes Act, Assembly Bill 888, passed out of the Assembly Insurance Committee on a...

With Wildfire Suits Looming, Edison Beats Estimates on Lower Expenses, Rate Hikes

Apr 30 2025 // Edison International beat Wall Street estimates for first-quarter profit on Tuesday, as the utility benefited from lower operating and interest expenses and higher rates for its services. Lower interest rates reduce...

Arch Capital’s First-Quarter Profit Halves on LA Wildfire Losses

Apr 30 2025 // Arch Capital’s first-quarter profit fell 49.2% as catastrophe losses from the California wildfires weighed on its underwriting performance and investment returns, the insurer said on Tuesday. The results mirror those...

LA Utility Returns to Muni Market for First Time Since Wildfires

Apr 30 2025 // The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is returning to the municipal bond market with a $1 billion offering, roughly three months after shelving a sale in the immediate wake of historic wildfires that began burning...

New Jersey Wildfire 75% Contained; Crews to Remain on Scene Until ‘Significant’ Rain

Apr 29 2025 // The New Jersey Forest Fire Service reported continued progress in fighting the Jones River wildfire, with the fire being 75% contained by noon on Monday, April 28. Officials said crews will remain on the scene for the next...

New Jersey’s Jones Road Wildfire Now 65% Contained

Apr 28 2025 // The New Jersey Forest Fire Service has continued to make progress fighting the Jones River wildfire. The service reported the fire was 65% contained by Sunday morning April 27. However, the service repeated a warning from...

California Wildfire Losses Cause 16% Fall in The Hartford’s Q1 Net Income

Apr 25 2025 // Net income at The Hartford decreased 16% to $630 million in the first quarter 2025, driven by losses from the California wildfires. Property/casualty catastrophe losses for Q1 2025 were $467 million pretax—$325 million,...

Lawmakers Agree to Pay $807M Into Lahaina Wildfires Settlement Fund

Apr 25 2025 // It’s not often that applause breaks out in the audience after a vote at the Hawaiʻi Legislature, but that one afternoon this week. The measure was House Bill 1001, and the subject was settling claims related to the...

Heavily-Forested New Hampshire Enters Wildfire Season

Apr 25 2025 // Despite rain statewide this month, the New Hampshire Forest Protection Bureau reports that 72% of the Granite State is currently experiencing abnormally dry conditions. The bureau is reminding the public that spring is the...

NJ Wildfire Update: 50% Contained; High Spread Risk Today; Suspect in Custody

Apr 25 2025 // At a time when firefighters are battling one of the worst wildfires in New Jersey’s history, there is an increased risk for rapid fire spread this afternoon across portions of the Garden State and eastern...

More Americans Breathe Unhealthy Air Due to Wildfires, Extreme Heat

Apr 25 2025 // Around 156 million Americans, nearly half of the US population, now live in areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution, part of a trend toward declining air quality as climate change-related extreme weather events like...

Forecast Calls for Wildfires to Burn More Land Across US This Year

Apr 25 2025 // A long-range forecast predicts wildfires will burn more land across the U.S. this year, with a potentially active spring in places and a build up into summer. An AccuWeather forecast out on Wednesday calls for 7 to 9...

Why New York and New Jersey Are at Risk of Spring Wildfires

Apr 25 2025 // The wildfire scorching southern New Jersey ignited despite a series of downpours in recent weeks — and the region is ripe for more blazes. April’s rains didn’t soak into the ground enough to prevent the fire...

PG&E Misses 1Q Profit Estimates on Higher Expenses, LA Wildfire Worries Linger

Apr 24 2025 // PG&E Corp. missed first-quarter profit estimates on Thursday, as the power company was hurt by higher operating and interest expenses. Higher-for-longer interest rates push up borrowing costs for utility companies,...

Update on New Jersey Wildfire: Suspect Charged With Arson

Apr 24 2025 // New Jersey officials announced that a 19-year old man has been charged with arson in connection with the Jones Road wildfire that started on April 22 and has spread throughout the southern Ocean County area. Joseph Kling...

UK’s Extremely Dry Start to Year Raises Crop and Wildfire Risks

Apr 24 2025 // The UK’s driest start to the year in four decades is threatening the country’s grain crops and increasing the risk of wildfires. Total precipitation of about 20.5 centimeters (8.1 inches) during the first...

Update on New Jersey Wildfire: 30% Contained, Evacuation Orders Lifted

Apr 23 2025 // A major wildfire in southern New Jersey’s Ocean County expanded last night, leading to the evacuation of 5,000 people and threats to more than 1,320 structures. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service reported last night...

Wildfire Losses Drop Chubb Q1 Net Income 38%, While Tariffs Create ‘Confusion’

Apr 23 2025 // First quarter 2025 net income at Chubb fell nearly 38% to about $1.3 billion as losses from the California wildfires overcame underlying results. Chief Executive Officer Evan G. Greenberg in a statement said the insurer...

High Cost of Living Fears Made Worse by LA Wildfire in UCLA Survey

Apr 21 2025 // The high cost of living remains a main concern in America’s largest exacerbated by the January 2025 wildfires is one of the biggest worries bothering residents of Los Angeles County. A survey focused on the county,...

Revisiting California’s Wildfires: A Personal Journey

Apr 21 2025 // PART TWO OF A TWO-PART SERIES In this second article in a two-part series, Journalist Russ Banham endeavors to better understand the factors behind the devastating fires in Los Angeles County and the roles that public...