Latest Wildfire Headlines
All the headlines from our Wildfire Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Europe’s $42 Billion Effort to Fight Wildfires Is an Uphill Battle
Aug 19 2024 // Europe is spending tens of billions of euros a year to fight wildfires, yet it hasn’t stopped blazes from flaring up across Greece and other parts of the continent this summer. This week fires on the outskirts of...
Wildfires Are Growing Under Climate Change, and Their Smoke Threatens Farmworkers
Aug 16 2024 // As wildfires scorched swaths of land in the wine country of Sonoma County in 2020, sending ash flying and choking the air with smoke, Maria Salinas harvested grapes. Her saliva turned black from inhaling the toxins, until...
Wildfire Near Athens Burns Area Nearly Twice the Size of Manhattan
Aug 16 2024 // A European Union satellite mapping agency says 104 square kilometers (40 square miles) of land was burned northeast of Athens this week during a deadly wildfire that gutted scores of homes and prompted multiple countries...
Hundreds Able to Return Home After Fleeing Wildfire Along California-Nevada Line
Aug 15 2024 // Hundreds of people were allowed to return home this week after being forced to flee a wildfire west of Reno that also shut down Interstate 80 along the California-Nevada line. About 170 firefighters continued to work to...
Judge Bars Insurers From Going After Defendants Who Agreed to $4B Maui Wildfire Settlement
Aug 15 2024 // A Maui judge’s ruling resolves a critical roadblock to finalizing a $4 billion wildfire settlement: Insurance companies who have paid out more than $2 billion in claims can seek reimbursement only from the settlement...
Report: 2.6M Homes with a Cost of $1.3 Trillion at Moderate to Very High Risk of Wildfire
Aug 15 2024 // More than 2.6 million homes across 14 states with a total reconstruction cost of $1.3 trillion are at moderate to very high risk of wildfire damage during the 2024 wildfire season, a new report shows. The 2024 CoreLogic...
Record-Breaking Wildfires Scorched 1.4M Acres in Oregon, Authorities Say
Aug 14 2024 // Wildfires in Oregon have burned more acres of land in 2024 than in any year since reliable records began, authorities said, with the mid-August peak of fire season still on the horizon. Blazes have scorched more than 1.4...
Athens Braces for Wildfire Flare-Ups as High Winds Return
Aug 13 2024 // Greek firefighters are working to bring the remnants of a huge wildfire near Athens under control, after wind speeds picked up again on Tuesday afternoon. The biggest blaze of the summer started northeast of the capital...
Report: 10 of Top U.S. Metros at Moderate to Very High Risk of Wildfire Are in California
Aug 13 2024 // Ten of the top 15 metropolitan areas for wildfire risk concentration are in California, while more than 2.6 million homes across 14 states with a total reconstruction cost of $1.3 trillion are at moderate to very high risk...
Colorado Wildfire That Destroyed 27 Homes Was Human-Caused, Officials Say
Aug 12 2024 // The Colorado wildfire that tore through 15 square miles (39 square kilometers) and destroyed 48 buildings, over half of which were homes, was human-caused, investigators said. The Alexander Mountain Fire burning near...
Fast-Moving Southern California Wildfire Torched Hillside Homes, Forcing Evacuations
Aug 7 2024 // A fast-moving wildfire that swept into a Southern California hillside community this week destroyed five homes and damaged three others, authorities said. The flames erupted Monday afternoon and chased residents from the...
‘We’re Going to Survive and It’s Going to Come Back’: A Year After Maui Wildfire, Survivors Press on
Aug 7 2024 // They have combed the ashes for mementos, worried about where they would sleep, questioned their faith and tried to find a way to grieve amid the great, unsettling devastation. Residents have faced a year of challenges,...
UK Faces High Wildfire Risk After Spell of Warmer Weather
Aug 6 2024 // Europe’s wildfire risks are extending as far north as the UK after a recent spell of hot weather. Parts of southeastern England, including areas around London, face high wildfire risks later this week, according to...
Containment Increased on Massive Wildfire, 640 Structures Destroyed
Aug 5 2024 // Firefighters have increased containment on the 627-square-mile Park Fire near Chico, California, which is now 34% contained. The fire, now the fourth largest wildfire in history, is 401,740 acres. It was 24% contained on...
Legislation Will Provide $100M in Aid to Victims of Wildfires and Flooding in New Mexico
Aug 5 2024 // New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed legislation that will provide $100 million in emergency aid to victims of recent wildfires and flooding in Lincoln County. The spending bill includes $70 million for local...
California Wildfire Now State’s Fourth Largest on Record, Containment Increased
Aug 2 2024 // Firefighters have increased containment on the Park Fire near Chico, California, which at 621-square-miles as of Friday is now the fourth largest wildfire in history. The fire, which covers parts of four counties—Butte,...
Toilet Paper and Flat Tires: The Strange Ways Californians Ignite Wildfires
Aug 2 2024 // Of all the insidious threats faced by wildland firefighters — extreme heat, desiccated forests, unpredictable fire behavior and a nearly year-round fire season — what might be the most fearsome? Humans. People do...
Oil and Gas Power Lines Suspected of Causing Texas Panhandle Wildfires
Aug 1 2024 // When a spate of wildfires tore across the Texas Panhandle in February and scorched 20,000 acres of Craig Cowden’s ranch near Skellytown, he decided he had had enough. Cowden took on a second unofficial job: looking...
North Macedonia Seeks EU Assistance as Wildfires Burn Across the Balkans
Aug 1 2024 // SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — North Macedonia said it was seeking further assistance from the European Union Tuesday to combat wildfires that continue to burn out of control in heatwave temperatures and have crossed the...
600-Square-Mile-Plus Wildfire in California Now State’s Fifth Largest on Record
Jul 31 2024 // The Park Fire near Chico, California, at 609 square miles is now the fifth largest wildfire in history, destroying 277 structures and damaging 29, according to CalFire. The fire covers four counties—Butte, Plumas,...
