Latest Wildfire Headlines
All the headlines from our Wildfire Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida Drought Conditions Match Devastating 1998 Wildfire Season
Jun 17 2011 // Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said drought conditions are the same as in 1998 when wildfires devastated Florida. Putnam told Gov. Rick Scott and Florida Cabinet colleagues Thursday that drought covers 93 percent of...
Record Wildfire Season Affecting Arizona, Rest of U.S.
Jun 14 2011 // As Arizona continues to battle several wildfires, every state in the country now has the potential for a wildfire, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The Center said nearly every state in the U.S. has...
Eight Wildfires Burn in Arizona, Evacuations Ordered
Jun 3 2011 // Arizona is currently ablaze with eight wildfires burning thousands of acres of land and property and causing evacuations from some areas, according to the National Interagency Coordination Center. While most of the fires...
Florida Wildfire Danger High Heading Into Memorial Day Weekend
May 27 2011 // The danger of wildfire is very high throughout Florida due to lack of rain, low humidity and windy conditions. Jim Karels, director of the Florida Division of Forestry at the Department of Agriculture and Consumer...
FEMA Defends Lack of Disaster Declaration Over Texas Wildfires
May 5 2011 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency defended its decision to refuse more assistance for Texas in the wake of devastating wildfires, saying that the state has already received sufficient U.S. government help. Gov. Rick...
Higher Humidity Readings Aid Texas Wildfire Crews
May 3 2011 // Higher humidity readings in West Texas have given an assist to crew battling wildfires in the arid reaches of West Texas. Federal firefighting team spokeswoman Diane Steltz said no structures were lost or threatened on May...
Kentucky Forest Fire Season Ends
May 3 2011 // The spring forest fire season in Kentucky has officially come to an end. The state Division of Forestry says fire hazard season ended April 30, but they urge Kentucky residents to use caution. The statement says although...
Federal Fire Crews Bring Expertise to Huge West Texas Fire
May 2 2011 // In firefighting circles, they are considered the best of the best. Hotshots, they’re called — a specially trained assortment of federal firefighters tasked with battling the most stubborn blazes in the most rugged...
Declarations
May 2 2011 // Preparation a Must “Just because the economy’s horrible doesn’t mean hurricanes stop.” —Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Craig Fugate, stressing how important it is for newly elected...
Texas Wildfires Fueled by High Winds, Drought
May 2 2011 // Firefighters continued in late April to make gradual progress containing massive, wind-whipped wildfires that raged across Texas during the month. West Texas firefighters rushed to finish controlled burns in the Ft. Davis...
Hail Storm Slams Abilene, Brings Some Relief to Wildfire Area
Apr 26 2011 // Baseball size hail hit Abilene, Texas, on April 24 causing property damage to vehicles, homes and businesses. Hail fell from a line of storms that passed over the southern half of the city and continued to move eastward...
Wildfires Continue in Texas; More than 1.8M Acres Burned This Year
Apr 21 2011 // Wildfire approaching McDonald Observatory near Ft. Davis, Texas. Photo by: Frank Cianciolo / McDonald Observatory As wildfires continue to rage in almost every region of the state, the Texas Forest Service reports that...
Austin, Texas, Fire Contained; 18 Homes Damaged
Apr 19 2011 // A wildfire in Austin, Texas, believed to have been sparked by a homeless man’s campfire, has burned 100 acres and damaged at least 18 homes. Austin Fire Department spokesman Chayer Smith said he expected the damage...
252 Texas Counties in Fire Danger; Gov. Requests Disaster Declaration
Apr 18 2011 // Texas Gov. Rick Perry has requested a federal Major Disaster Declaration for his state as a result of widespread wildfires and continuing fire danger across the state. Perry identified 252 out of 254 Texas counties that...
Wildfire Danger Critical in Oklahoma, Texas
Apr 7 2011 // Bulldozers and airplanes have been put on alert as Texas faces an increased threat for wildfires. In Oklahoma, that state has experienced the driest four month stretch the Dust Bowl and thousands of acres have burned in...
More Than 300 Homes Evacuated in Colorado Wildfire
Apr 4 2011 // Strong winds fueled a wildfire in canyon country west of Fort Collins, Colo., forcing the evacuation of 335 homes, authorities said April 3. There have been no reports of any injuries or damage to any of the dwellings, but...
Local California Fire Chief Unaware of Gas Line Before Explosion
Mar 4 2011 // Until a deadly explosion south of San Francisco last year, local firefighters had no idea there was a large gas transmission pipeline underneath their town — a recurring problem in pipeline accidents, federal safety...
Virginia Wildfires Still Going a Week Later
Mar 1 2011 // Virginia fire officials say it may be two weeks before wildfires in Rockingham County are fully contained. Fire officials tell WHSV-TV the fires that have burned hundreds of acres were 45 percent contained Sunday. Fire...
Wildfires Destroy Homes in Western Australia
Feb 7 2011 // Wildfires tore through the suburbs of an Australian city on Sunday, destroying a number of homes, news reports and authorities said. There were no reports of injuries. Two fires fanned by hot summer winds were burning in...
Fact or Fiction? Insurance Tidbits of Known and Little-Known Information
Dec 20 2010 // Have you ever wondered what big events helped shape regulation of the current U.S. insurance industry? Or if drivers of certain cars have more risk? What about the most attractive insurance job in the industry? These are...
