Latest Wildfire Headlines

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

Cost of Grass Fires in Okla. Continues to Mount

Jan 18 2006 // State officials began the arduous task of assessing the cost of weeks of wildfires as a cold front and higher humidity gave firefighters a much-needed break from battling fields of flames and red-hot embers. Gov. Brad...

Colo. Authorities Identify Five Suspects in Wildfire

Jan 18 2006 // Jefferson County, Colo., authorities said they were considering charges against five teenagers suspected of starting a fire that burned about 2,700 acres and destroyed two small buildings last week. The fire prompted...

Arson Alleged in Texas Wildfires

Jan 10 2006 // Texas Gov. Rick Perry has directed the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the State Fire Marshal’s office of the Texas Department of Insurance and the Texas Forest Service to...

Wildfire Outbreak in Ark. Forces Evacuations, Destroys Homes

Jan 10 2006 // Arkansas had its first major wildfire outbreak of the season as at least 43 fires blazed statewide, with one 3,000-acre arson fire in Ashley County that destroyed eight structures and forced evacuations still burning as of...

Okla. Senate Sub-Committee to Hold Hearing on Rural Fire Department Funding Needs

Jan 9 2006 // The Oklahoma Senate Appropriations Sub-Committee on Natural Resources and Regulatory Services will hold a hearing Jan. 12, 2006, on the funding needs of rural fire departments in Oklahoma in the wake of the wildfires that...

Wildfires Decimating Budgets of Okla.’s Rural Fire Departments

Jan 6 2006 // Wildfires that have ravaged more than 350,000 acres across Oklahoma also are taking their toll on the budgets of rural fire departments. Rural volunteer departments this year have received only about one-fourth of their...

AG Warns Texans About Post-Wildfire Con Artists

Jan 5 2006 // Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott warned Texans who lost homes or other property to recent major wildfires across the state to be alert for unscrupulous operators offering to rebuild or repair fire-damaged...

Okla. AG Warns of Fraud After Fires

Jan 4 2006 // Attorney General Drew Edmondson is warning Oklahomans who lost homes and other property in recent wildfires to beware of being victimized again, this time by fraud. More than 200 homes and businesses have been destroyed by...

Texas Governor Visits Fire-Plagued Towns; 3,200 Evacuated

Jan 3 2006 // Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Jan. 2 traveled to Nacona and Ringgold, two towns in fire-ravaged Montague County where 3,200 residents were evacuated to safety yesterday. Perry met with local officials and took a helicopter tour...

Fire Crews Brace for the Potential of More Fires in Okla.

Jan 3 2006 // Firefighters in Oklahoma remained geared up Monday, Jan. 2 after 25 grassfires ravaged hundreds of acres across Oklahoma City. The fire crews battled blazes from about 7 a.m on Sunday, Jan. 1 until about 7 a.m. Monday,...

Okla., Texas Still Plagued by Wildfires

Jan 2 2006 // Wildfires continued to burn in Texas and Oklahoma on New Year’s Day, fueled by record-high temperatures, high winds and significant lack of rainfall, sweeping across thousands of acres and destroying homes along the...

Allstate Units Agree to Coverage Checks Sought After Ariz. Wildfire

Dec 30 2005 // Two Allstate Insurance units have agreed to implement new procedures to re-evaluate coverage needs of homeowners – steps sought by Arizona regulators in the wake of consumer complaints after a devastating 2003...

Wildfires Rage in Texas and Oklahoma; At Least 4 People Killed in Blazes

Dec 29 2005 // At least three people in Texas and one in Oklahoma have died as the result of wildfires that have plagued the two rain-starved states in recent days. The Dallas Morning News reported that a body of a man was found in...

Texas Fire Marshall Urges Extreme Caution With Fireworks

Dec 29 2005 // The State Fire Marshal is urging Texans to make any celebration that includes the use of fireworks this weekend, a safe one. Extreme drought conditions over much of Texas along with high winds and low humidity has put...

Governors in Okla. and Texas Respond to Wildfire Threat

Dec 27 2005 // Both Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry are responding to waves of wildfires plaguing their states as a result of the extremely dry conditions there. Henry reminded citizens that a statewide burn ban...

Continuing Battle against Wildfires Fuels Need for Insurance

Oct 17 2005 // As firefighters battled into last week trying to contain one of a number of brush fires in the Los Angeles area, residents throughout California are keeping a close eye on weather conditions and their insurance policies,...

Continuing Battle against Wildfires Fuels Need for Insurance

Oct 17 2005 // As firefighters battled into last week trying to contain one of a number of brush fires in the Los Angeles area, residents throughout California are keeping a close eye on weather conditions and their insurance policies,...

New Report Warns of Rising Threat to US Insurers from Climate Change

Oct 3 2005 // Higher premiums, coverage restrictions already hitting many parts of country Hurricane Katrina is a poignant reminder that U.S. insurers, government and consumers are at enormous risk from escalating losses from hurricanes...

New Report Warns of Rising Threat to US Insurers from Climate Change

Oct 3 2005 // Higher premiums, coverage restrictions already hitting many parts of country. Hurricane Katrina is a poignant reminder that U.S. insurers, government and consumers are at enormous risk from escalating losses from...

Colo. Residents Settle Wildfire Lawsuit with Energy Provider

Sep 12 2005 // Jamestown, Colo. residents who sued Xcel Energy after losing homes or property in a wildfire in 2003 have settled their lawsuit against the company. The 49 plaintiffs agreed not to disclose financial terms of the...