Latest Wildfire Headlines

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

Colorado Wildfire Victims Hitting ‘Green’ Building Code Hurdle

Mar 3 2022 // Some homeowners recovering from Colorado’s most destructive wildfire in history, which decimated entire neighborhoods near Denver late last year, say they could end up paying tens of thousands of dollars more to...

California Commissioner Wants to Require Insurers to Factor Wildfire Safety Steps into Pricing

Feb 25 2022 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced new regulations he believes will improve wildfire safety and drive down the cost of insurance for homeowners and businesses. The proposed regulations, which could be...

Extreme Wildfires Expected to Increase 30% by 2050

Feb 24 2022 // Indonesia’s peatlands, California’s forests, and, now, vast swathes of Argentine wetland have all been ravaged by extreme wildfires, heralding a fiery future and the dire need to prevent it. With climate change...

Bill Introduced to Offer All California Homeowners Insurance, Fund Home Hardening

Feb 21 2022 // Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-Marin County, introduced legislation to require mandatory issuance of homeowners’ insurance and establish a grant program to harden residential properties in areas prone to...

California Wildfire at 20% Containment, Evacuation Orders Lifted

Feb 18 2022 // A wildfire near Bishop, California, is only 20% contained, however evacuation orders have been lifted. The Airport Fire, which started on Wednesday, has burned 4,136 acres. At one point it had threatened 150 structures,...

Oregon Getting $262M in Wildfire Recovery Funding

Feb 15 2022 // The U.S. Forest Service in Oregon will receive more than $262 million in federal disaster funding to help with wildfire recovery. Oregon Public Broadcasting reported the money is part of a $1.1 billion disaster assistance...

California Commissioner, Emergency Agencies Issue ‘Safer From Wildfires’ Framework

Feb 14 2022 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and emergency management leaders in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Administration on Monday announced “Safer from Wildfires,” an insurance framework that incorporates...

Actuary Paper: Active Wildfire Seasons Providing Lessons on Fire Risk

Feb 14 2022 // Destructive and costly wildfires in the western U.S. over the past several years are driving efforts to better understand wildfire risk, ways to more effectively prevent and mitigate wildfires, and approaches to insuring...

Researcher Seeks Answers to Question: How Does A Town Rebuild After a Wildfire?

Feb 7 2022 // Three months after the most destructive fire in California’s history, the residents of Paradise were sifting through the rubble of their houses, moving out of shelters and into less temporary but not permanent...

Bill Introduced to Offer All California Homeowners Insurance, Fund Home Hardening

Feb 3 2022 // Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-Marin County, on Thursday introduced legislation designed to require mandatory issuance of homeowners’ insurance and establish a grant program to harden residential properties in areas...

Colorado Lawmakers Make First Pass on Wildfire Bill

Feb 3 2022 // Colorado lawmakers passed a bill to increase wildfire mitigation efforts, just a month since a devastating fire tore through suburbs north of Denver, destroying more than 1,000 homes and businesses and killing at least one...

Evacuations Lifted for Wildfire on California Coast

Jan 27 2022 // Evacuation orders were lifted Wednesday as firefighters strengthened control lines and mopped up hot spots at a wildfire along California’s Big Sur coast, authorities said. Fire activity was minimal overnight, with...

Wildfire on California Coast Now 45% Contained

Jan 25 2022 // Shifting winds and increased humidity helped firefighters make progress against a blaze burning in rugged mountains near California’s Big Sur coast, authorities said. The Colorado Fire was 45% contained on Tuesday,...

Hundreds Evacuated as Crews Battle California Wildfire

Jan 24 2022 // Hundreds of residents remained evacuated Sunday as crews battled a wildfire in rugged mountains along the California coast that forced the closure of the main roadway near Big Sur. One structure, a yurt, was destroyed by...

Colorado Wildfire Caused $513M in Damage, Officials Say

Jan 24 2022 // The Colorado wildfire caused at least $513 million in damage and destroyed nearly 1,100 homes and structures, officials as they updated the toll of property lost in the most destructive wildfire in state history. Boulder...

Woman Missing in Colorado Wildfire Was Last Seen Trying to Save Dogs

Jan 21 2022 // As a fast-moving wildfire spread in suburban Denver, an emergency responder warned Edna Nadine Turnbull to evacuate. But the 91-year-old went back inside her home to rescue her dogs. Turnbull and her pets were never seen...

Texas Rolling Pines Wildfire 70% Contained, Some Evacuations Lifted

Jan 20 2022 // A wildfire in a central Texas state park is no longer growing and no injuries were reported after the blaze, suspected to have been caused by a prescribed burn, charred 1.2 square miles (3.2 square kilometers), officials...

Controlled Burn Likely Source for Bastrop County, Texas Wildfire

Jan 19 2022 // A wildfire burning east of Austin, Texas was likely the resulted of a planned burn, officials said. The Rolling Pines Fire in Bastrop County had burned through more than 780 acres and was 30% contained as of the morning of...

Biden Administration Unveils ‘Wildfire Crisis Strategy’ for Western States

Jan 19 2022 // The Biden administration on Tuesday unveiled a 10-year plan to treat and maintain millions of additional acres of forests in the western United States to reduce the severity of seasonal wildfires. “We’re not...

California Budget Aims to Tackle Climate Change, Wildfires, Crime

Jan 12 2022 // California Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a $286.4 billion budget that sets off months of budget talks with his fellow Democrats, who control the state Legislature, before the new fiscal year begins July 1. Newsom focused much...