Latest Wildfire Headlines
All the headlines from our Wildfire Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Grim California Wildfire Outlook Has Insurers Forking Over Big Bucks for Modeling
Jul 5 2021 // Severe drought and searing temperatures are not the only proof that Californians should be worried about wildfires this year. A glaring piece of evidence that there’s ample cause for concern is this: those who will...
PG&E in California Seeks $3.6B in Rate Hikes for Wildfire Safety
Jul 2 2021 // Pacific Gas & Electric asked regulators Wednesday to grant a $3.6 billion rate hike to help it pay for hardening its power systems to prevent deadly wildfires. The nation’s largest electric utility requested the...
California Firefighters Battling Growing Wildfires
Jul 1 2021 // Hundreds of firefighters labored this week in high heat on the lines of big wildfires in the forests of far northern California as many communities remained under lengthening evacuation orders. Mount Shasta, the volcano...
Researchers Use Drones to Help Forecast Fires as Wildfires Hit Western U.S.
Jul 1 2021 // In a grassy meadow outside Missoula, Montana, Jennifer Fowler eyes two drones high in the sky with weather instruments — part of a program to see how drones can help to fight and monitor wildfires. Missoula is a...
Northern California Wildfire Forces Evacuation Orders
Jun 30 2021 // A wildfire in Northern California has grown significantly and begun to pose a threat communities. The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office issued evacuation orders Monday for the Lake Shastina and Juniper Valley...
Wildfire Risk Creeping Higher in Montana Parks
Jun 29 2021 // The risk of wildfires is growing with more warm, dry weather in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. The fire danger in Yellowstone is rated as “high” and in Grand Teton it’s “very...
Wildfire Resilience Efforts Are Improving: Triple-I Panelists
Jun 29 2021 // Panelists convened by the Insurance Information Institute and ResilientH20 Partners agreed that resilience is building due to technological advances and greater awareness about how wildfires spread. In the latest...
California Wildfires Burning in Coastal And Sierra Wilderness
Jun 23 2021 // California wildfires were burning in tinder dry vegetation in rugged central coast mountains and near an Eastern Sierra trailhead where hikers begin treks to the summit of Mount Whitney. More than 500 firefighters were...
Firefighters in California Working to Contain Large Wildfire
Jun 22 2021 // California’s weather moderated after a long siege of extreme heat but firefighters still faced the difficult task of trying to contain a large forest fire in rugged coastal mountains south of Big Sur. The Willow Fire...
Arizona Governor Signs $100M Wildfire Funding Bill
Jun 21 2021 // Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has signed a bill rushed through in a special legislative session that provides $100 million in funding this year to battle wildfires, react to the damage they cause and to create a new force of...
Close Calls in Colorado Spark Push for Wildfire Mitigation
Jun 21 2021 // As the Missionary Ridge Fire raged in 2002, the Valley Fire, a second fire, broke out and destroyed six homes within hours near the Falls Creek Ranch subdivision north of Durango, Colorado. When residents returned after...
Grim California Wildfire Outlook Has Insurers Forking Over Big Bucks for Modeling
Jun 18 2021 // Severe drought and searing temperatures are not the only proof that Californians should be worried about wildfires this year. A glaring piece of evidence that there’s ample cause for concern is this: those who will...
Drought Contributes to Rise in North Dakota Wildfires
Jun 17 2021 // The number of wildfires this year in North Dakota has increased significantly, according to state officials, who cite extremely dry conditions. Data collected by the North Dakota Forest Service and the state Department of...
California OKs Farmers and Zesty.ai Wildfire Risk Assessments, Will Bring 30K New Homeowners Policies
Jun 16 2021 // California regulators have approved a plan by Farmers Insurance to assess wildfire risk by using a tool that combines artificial intelligence with high-resolution aerial photography. The carrier said the Z-Fire risk...
Arizona Legislature Holding Special Wildfire Funding Session
Jun 16 2021 // The Arizona Legislature will convene in special session this week to consider adding $100 million in funding for fighting wildfires and to boost the amount of money available to clear hazardous brush and deal with the...
Russia Fights Wildfires in Siberia and the Far East
Jun 15 2021 // Russian emergency workers fought wildfires burning Sunday on more than 550 square kilometers (212 square miles) of territory mostly in Siberia and the Far East. The state agency responsible for fighting forest fires,...
Road Work Started Wildfire in Arizona Mining Town, Sheriff Says
Jun 11 2021 // A May 27 wildfire that destroyed or damaged 24 homes and threatened many other structures in the remote mining town of Bagdad was caused by construction equipment being used for road work, the Yavapai County...
Crews Battle Arizona Wildfire Threatening Communities
Jun 10 2021 // Firefighters in south-central Arizona have gained a toehold against a massive wildfire that has burned at least five structures and forced thousands of people to evacuate rural towns and shut down several highways. The...
Close Calls in Colorado Spark Push for Wildfire Mitigation
Jun 7 2021 // As the Missionary Ridge Fire raged in 2002, the Valley Fire, a second fire, broke out and destroyed six homes within hours near the Falls Creek Ranch subdivision north of Durango. When residents returned after the Valley...
Western U.S. Wildfires Have Made Insurance Tough for Contractors
Jun 7 2021 // Things look bad with California’s ever-sooner wildfire season seemingly approaching and what’s shaping up to be a severe drought across the Western U.S. The plague of wildfires in the past few years in...
